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Prayer for the soul in purgatory most devoted to Our Lady

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Prayer for the soul in purgatory most devoted to Our Lady

Ask God to have mercy on the soul in purgatory who loved Our Lady with great fervor during life on earth.

The souls in purgatory welcome our prayers, and by God’s divine grace, they help lessen the time spent in this stage of purification before Heaven.

We can direct our prayers through several means. The collection of approved prayers known as the Raccolta includes a prayer for the soul in purgatory most devoted to Our Lady.

Prayer for the soul in purgatory most devoted to Our Lady

O Lord God Almighty, I beseech Thee, by the Precious Blood

which gushed forth from the Side of Thy Divine Son Jesus,

in the sight of, and to the extreme pain of his most holy Mother,

deliver the souls in purgatory, and especially that one amongst them all

which was the most devout to her; that it may soon attain unto Thy glory,

there to praise Thee in her and her in Thee world without end.

Amen.

Read More

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What does purgatory look like?

If we end up in purgatory after we die, how long will we be there?

Want to Pray More? There’s a Devotion for Every Day of the Week

A prayer for money problems

Bring me the assistance I need to live the life of dignity you desire for me.

With tax day coming up this week, most of us have been coming face to face with our finances … which doesn’t always bring good news. Say this prayer for money problems.

There are various heavenly intercessors at the ready to help us with financial stress and difficulty.

For example, Our Lady of Good Remedy got this title thanks to her help with financial needs.

When Father John of Matha began his ministry of rescuing and ransoming Christians from the Moors, he had no idea that those captured and imprisoned numbered in the thousands. John needed money — lots of money — to begin “buying” enslaved Christians back from the Moors. He knew in his heart there would be only one way he might have success. He turned his need over to the Blessed Virgin.

Our Lady of Good Remedy

Her prompt and thorough assistance led to devotion to her as the Lady of “good remedy” and we, too, can call on her for help.

As well, devotees of the Infant of Prague have found Christ in this manifestation to be a consolation and support in financial difficulties.

This is due to the story surrounding how the Infant Jesus supported those trying to repair the statue when Prague was invaded and the statue was almost lost forever.

A priest discovered it in the rubble of a church and enshrined it in a new oratory. While cleaning the statue the priest heard the Infant Jesus say to him, “Have pity on Me and I will have pity on you. Give Me My hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor Me, the more I will bless you.” When the priest needed more funds to repair the statue the Infant Jesus said to the priest, “Place Me near the entrance of the sacristy and you will receive aid.” What was needed was miraculously provided and the statue was restored.

From the Saints

St. Matthew, the apostle whom Jesus called from his life as a tax collector, is a patron of accountants, and thus another worthy intercessor in financial trials.

Also consider St. Nicholas, who became associated with Christmas as Santa Claus because he provided for the financial needs of young women needing a dowry.

But of course when we’re praying for help with financial situations, we should take advantage of the occasion to examine our hearts. Do we place too much security in money? Are we “poor of heart” as the Beatitudes say we must be?

Pope Francis has warned over and over again about the spiritual dangers that can come with money. With his characteristic sage humor, he likes to say that the “devil comes in through the pockets.”

In an address to business students last year, he encouraged them to learn to “remain free of the fascination with money, of the slavery in which money encloses those who worship it.”

Here’s a prayer adapted from an examination found at the end of Thomas Dubay’s thorough book on this theme, Happy Are You Poor: The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom.

A prayer for money problems

God, enkindle in me a pure and total love for you. Help me to pursue you above all else, that nothing else matters more to me than  you. Remind me that I am a stranger, a nomad, a pilgrim on this earth, destined to dwell in the place you have prepared for me in heaven.

May I live in such a way that all who see me realize that my Homeland is not here below. Make me poor in spirit, that I might be a worthy follower of your Son, who had nowhere on this earth to lay his head.

I turn to you in my financial need, aware that you care for the lilies of the field and the sparrows of the air. Bring me the assistance I need to live the life of dignity you desire for me. Provide for my needs, and help me to rest in trusting you. Amen.

A prayer for money problems. Leave your prayer intentions in the comment. Remain Blessed

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Prayer for the Evening (Friday, November 5)

Prayer for the Evening

 

The Lord comforts those who have lost loved ones.

Let us give him thanks and praise.

 

Glory to the Father…. Alleluia!

 

Hymn

 

Now fades all earthly splendor,

The shades of night descend;

The dying of the daylight

Foretells creation’s end.

Though noon gives place to sunset,

Yet dark gives place to light:

The promise of tomorrow

With dawn’s new hope is bright.

 

The silver notes of morning

Will greet the rising sun,

As once the Easter glory

Shone round the Risen One.

So will the night of dying

Give place to heaven’s day,

And hope of heaven’s vision,

Will light our pilgrim way.

 

So will the new creation

Rise from the old reborn

To splendor in Christ’s glory

And everlasting morn.

All darkness will be ended

As faith gives place to sight

Of Father, Son and Spirit,

One God, in heaven’s light.

 

Canticle of Isaiah 49:9b-13

 

Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit. (Rom 5:5)

The first Eucharistic Prayer refers to heaven as a place of “refreshment, light, and peace.” The heavenly Father longs for us to be united to him forever, in perfect contentment.

 

Along the ways they shall find pasture,

on every bare height shall their pastures be.

 

They shall not hunger or thirst,

nor shall the scorching wind or the sun strike them;

For he who pities them leads them

and guides them beside springs of water.

 

I will cut a road through all my mountains,

and make my highways level.

See, some shall come from afar,

others from the north and the west,

and some from the land of Syene.

 

Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth,

break forth into song, you mountains.

For the Lord comforts his people

and shows mercy to his afflicted.

 

Glory to the Father….

 

Word of God (Lamentations 3:22-26)

 

The favors of the Lord are not exhausted,/ his mercies are not spent;/ They are renewed each morning,/ so great is his faithfulness./ My portion is the Lord, says my soul;/ therefore will I hope in him./

Good is the Lord to one who waits for him,/ to the soul that seeks him;/ It is good to hope in silence/ for the saving help of the Lord.

God will ransom me from death/

and take my soul to himself. (cf. Ps 49:16)

 

Canticle of Mary

 

Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Mt 25:34)

 

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

 

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

 

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

 

He has shown the strength of his arm,

[he] has scattered the proud in their conceit.

 

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

 

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

 

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.

 

Glory to the Father…

 

Intercessions

 

Mindful of your saving love, we pray for the holy souls in purgatory:

R/Bring them to their heavenly reward!

Through your cross and Resurrection:

– by which you conquered death itself. R/

Through the intercession of the Church:

– remember the good they have done, and forget the evil. R/

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God,

– rest in peace. R/

 

Personal intentions

 

Our Father….

 

May the choir of angels receive us and, with Lazarus, who was once poor, may we enjoy eternal rest. Amen. (In Paradisum)

 

Marian Antiphon

 

Medieval Antiphon

 

Rejoice, O Mother of God, O Virgin Immaculate;

[rejoice], you who received joy from an angel;

rejoice, you who bore the glory of the light everlasting;

[rejoice], O Mother, rejoice,

O holy Virgin Mother of God;

you alone a maiden Mother,

all creation praises you, the Mother of light;

may you be for us, we beseech you,

a perpetual intercessor.

Salve Regina

 

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

 

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

 

Hail Holy Queen

 

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

 

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

 

Alma Redemptoris Mater

 

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli

porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,

surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,

natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,

Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore

sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

 

Loving mother of the Redeemer

 

Loving mother of the Redeemer,

gate of heaven, star of the sea,

assist your people who have fallen yet strive

to rise again.

To the wonderment of nature, you bore your Creator,

yet remained a virgin after as before.

You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,

have pity on us, poor sinners.

 

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

 

Read More

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Prayer for the Evening (Wednesday, November 3)

Prayer to the Sacred Heart on First Fridays

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This prayer expresses love and adoration for Jesus and his most Sacred Heart.

The Devotion/ Prayer to the Sacred Heart on first fridays started years ago. In addition, The First Friday of each month is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion specifically promoted by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

One of the many ways to honor this day is to pray a prayer in adoration and love of the Sacred Heart.

Below is a traditional prayer prayed on First Fridays.

I adore Thee, I love Thee, I praise Thee, I cry to Thee for mercy;

I return Thee thanks, I invoke Thee and confide myself entirely to Thee;

O most holy and adorable Heart of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;

Who for the salvation of us all didst submit Thyself to the rigors of Divine Justice;

and didst voluntarily accept a birth accompanied with poverty;

sorrow and contempt, a life of labor and contradictions, but of kindness for all;

and death full of opprobrium, confusion and sorrow, and who, in fine;

for the love of those who wish to be saved through Thy divine charity;

dost remain in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar to the end of time. Accomplish;

O most adorable Heart, Thy wishes in my poor and miserable heart;

which I dedicate and consecrate to Thee forever. Grant that it may live in the sentiments of love;

and gratitude which it owes Thee, that it may at all times breathe only Thy honor and glory;

in order that it may expire in the waters of perfect contrition.

Amen.

Read More

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5 Quotes to Inspire Your Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Saints Elizabeth and Zechariah

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TODAY WE CELEBRATE… SAINT OF THE DAY. Saints Elizabeth and Zechariah

‘In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us…”

The Parents of Saint John the Baptist – (First Century)

According to the Gospel of Luke, Zechariah was an elderly priest. He and his wife Elizabeth hoped and prayed that God would bless them with a child.

Saint Luke tells us that the couple were devout observers of the Law and “blameless in the sight of the Lord.”

God answered the prayers of the elderly couple and Elizabeth conceived a son, whom they named John as the angel had instructed them.

Devotion to Saints Zechariah and Elizabeth dates to the early fifth century when the supposed relics of Zechariah were transferred from Constantinople to Rome. While it is not mentioned in the Roman Martyrology, some Fathers of the Church and a number of ancient traditions maintain that Zechariah died as a martyr.

These two saints are included in the calendars of a number of Churches and denominations and Zechariah is honored as a prophet in the Qur’an, while Elizabeth is honored as one of the “holy women” of Islam.

Spiritual bonus

Prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, many dioceses celebrated the “Feast of the Holy Relics” on November 5. This celebration was created in response to the attacks on the devotion to relics that was part of the Protestant Reformation. To help avoid abuses—and in response to some valid criticisms posed by the Protestant reformers—the Council of Trent initiated policies that helped prevent abuses related to devotion to relics of saints. In honor of the feast, many churches would display their collections of relics on the feast.

Quote

“John’s father, Zechariah — Elizabeth’s husband and a relative of Mary. He was a priest of Old Testament worship. He did not immediately believe in the announcement of such an unexpected fatherhood. Therefore, he was left mute until the day of the circumcision of the child to whom he and his wife gave the name God had indicated to them; that is, John, which means ‘graced by God.’ Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Zechariah spoke thus of his son’s mission: ‘And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins’ (Lk 1:76-77).”—Pope Benedict XVI

Prayer

O God, who see that in our weakness we fail,

mercifully restore us to your love by the example of your Saints.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Read More

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SAINT OF THE DAY: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

Prayer for the Morning (Thursday, November 4)

Saint Charles Borromeo

Prayer for the Morning

 

Come, let us praise the Lord our God,

as we recall Saint Charles!

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

 

HYMN

 

God’s perfect law revives the human soul,

His faithful precepts make the simple wise;

[His] firm decrees bring joy to troubled hearts,

His clear commands give light to darkened eyes.

 

To be desired far more than treasured gold;

More sweet than honey are the words of God:

And by their truth am I, your servant, warned;

To keep them is to find a great reward.

 

So keep me free from every open sin;

Against all secret failings be my guard:

My words and thoughts be such as make you glad,

My Rock, my strong Redeemer, and my Lord.

 

PSALM 15

 

The righteous must still do right, and the holy still be holy. (Rv 22:11)

As both a civil and a canon lawyer, as well as a bishop, Saint Charles understood the pastoral work of law-giving according to the model of Christ. His unflagging efforts to promote Christian life and Church reform were prompted by a profoundly self-sacrificing love of Christ living in the Church.

 

Lord, who shall be admitted to your tent

and dwell on your holy mountain?

 

He who walks without fault;

he who acts with justice

and speaks the truth from his heart;

he who does not slander with his tongue;

 

he who does no wrong to his brother,

who casts no slur on his neighbor,

who holds the godless in disdain,

but honors those who fear the Lord;

 

he who keeps his pledge, come what may;

who takes no interest on a loan

and accepts no bribes against the innocent.

Such a man will stand firm forever.

 

Glory to the Father….

 

Word of God (Deuteronomy 4:5-8)

 

Therefore, I teach you the statutes and decrees as the Lord, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to occupy. Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.” For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

Zeal for your house consumed him. (cf. Ps 69:10)

 

CANTICLE OF ZECHARIAH

 

Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. (Rom 12:11)

 

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

 

Through his holy prophets, he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

 

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

 

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

 

You, my child, shall be called the prophet

of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

 

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

 

Glory to the Father…

 

INTERCESSIONS

 

Through the intercession of Saint Charles, let us pray for the Church to which he devoted his life:

R/Renew us in your love!

For all pastors and Church administrators:

– grant them the gifts of discernment and charity in all their decisions. R/

For all canon lawyers:

– grant them the wisdom to know the true meaning of the law. R/

For all parishes:

– grant them a fervent life of prayer and good works for the sake of your kingdom. R/

 

(Personal intentions)

 

Our Father….

 

O God of justice and of mercy, you guided Saint Charles Borromeo in promoting the full life of the Church in times of uncertainty and controversy. Through his intercession, continue to renew the Church today to seek the peace of your Kingdom for all people, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

READ MORE

PRAYER FOR THIS MORNING (WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4)

7 “All Saints” days celebrated in November

Persecuted Christians of the Middle East receives gift from Prince Charles of Wales

 

Prayer for the Evening (Wednesday, November 3)

Prayer for the Evening

 

God hears a cause that is just: come, let us pray.

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

 

Hymn

 

Call on God, your one salvation,

Rest beneath th’ Almighty’s shade;

In his hidden habitation

Dwell, and never be dismayed.

God shall charge his angel legions

Over you their care to keep,

Though you walk through hostile regions,

Though in desert wilds you sleep.

 

Since, with pure and firm affection,

You have set on God your love,

With the wings of his protection

He will shield you from above.

When you call on him in trouble,

He will hearken, he will save;

Here for grief reward, you double,

Crown with life beyond the grave.

 

Psalm 17:1-3a, 6-9a

 

In the shadow of your wings, I take refuge/ till the storms of destruction pass by. (Ps 57:2b)

Powerful carved cherubim spread their wings over the ark of the covenant, where God sat “enthroned” in the luminous cloud in the Temple’s inner chamber. In the psalms, the “shadow of God’s wings” came to mean the holy place where one could find safe refuge in the divine presence.

 

Lord, hear a cause that is just,

pay heed to my cry.

Turn your ear to my prayer:

no deceit is on my lips.

 

From you may my judgment come forth.

Your eyes discern the truth.

You search my heart, you visit me by night.

 

I am here and I call, you will hear me, O God.

Turn your ear to me; hear my words.

Display your great love, you whose right-hand saves

your friends from those who rebel against them.

 

Guard me as the apple of your eye.

Hide me in the shadow of your wings

from the violent attack of the wicked.

 

Glory to the Father….

 

Word of God (John 17:11b-12)

 

Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled.

By the power of God, you are safeguarded

through faith! (cf. 1 Pt 1:5)

 

Canticle of Mary

 

Jesus prayed, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one.” (cf. Jn 17:15)

 

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

 

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

 

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

 

He has shown the strength of his arm,

[he] has scattered the proud in their conceit.

 

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

 

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

 

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

 

Glory to the Father…

 

Intercessions

 

Let us pray in the name of all who are suffering in our day the pain of the cross:

R/Turn your ear to us; hear our words!

Lord, you are the justice of God, but you were condemned as a criminal:

– strengthen in forgiveness those who are unjustly condemned. R/

Lord, you are the truth of God:

– deliver from harm to all those who are threatened by lies. R/

Lord, you are the love of God made visible:

– save all those who are menaced by hatred, cruelty, and abuse. R/

 

Personal intentions

 

Our Father….

May the Lord rescue us from every evil threat and bring us safe to his heavenly kingdom. Amen. (cf. 2 Tm 4:18)

 

Marian Antiphon

 

Medieval Antiphon

 

Rejoice, O Mother of God, O Virgin Immaculate;

[rejoice], you who received joy from an angel;

rejoice, you who bore the glory of the light everlasting;

[rejoice], O Mother, rejoice,

O holy Virgin Mother of God;

you alone a maiden Mother,

all creation praises you, the Mother of light;

may you be for us, we beseech you,

a perpetual intercessor.

 

Salve Regina

 

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

 

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

 

HAIL HOLY QUEEN

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

 

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

 

Alma Redemptoris Mater

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,
natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

 

Loving mother of the Redeemer

 

Loving mother of the Redeemer,

gate of heaven, star of the sea,

assist your people who have fallen yet strive

to rise again.

 

To the wonderment of nature, you bore your Creator,

yet remained a virgin after as before.

You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,

have pity on us, poor sinners.

 

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

 

Read More

Prayer for the Evening (Monday, November 1)

Pope adds ‘Mother of Hope’ to Litany of Mary, along with two other new titles

5 Scriptures to lead you to your ONE TRUE LOVE

Prayer for the Morning (Wednesday, November 3)

Prayer for the Morning

 

Let us proclaim the greatness of our God!

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

 

Hymn

 

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;

To his feet your tribute bring.

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Evermore his praises sing:

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise the everlasting King.

 

Praise him for his grace and favor

To our fathers in distress.

Praise him still the same as ever,

Slow to chide, and swift to bless.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Glorious in his faithfulness.

 

Fatherlike he tends and spares us;

Well our feeble frame he knows.

In his hands he gently bears us,

Rescues us from all our foes.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Widely yet his mercy flows.

 

Canticle (Deuteronomy 32:3-7, 10-12)

 

Guard me as the apple of your eye./ Hide me in the shadow of your wings. (Ps 17:8)

Now and then, God’s people of old needed to be reminded of the care with which his love had surrounded and protected them. Now and then, we do, too!

 

Oh, proclaim the greatness of our God!

The Rock—how faultless are his deeds,

how right all his ways!

A faithful God, without deceit,

how just and upright he is!

 

Yet basely has he been treated

by his degenerate children,

a perverse and crooked race!

Is the Lord to be thus repaid by you,

O stupid and foolish people?

Is he not your father who created you?

Has he not made you and established you?

 

Think back on the days of old,

reflect on the years of age upon age.

Ask your father and he will inform you,

ask your elders and they will tell you:

 

He found them in a wilderness,

a wasteland of howling desert.

He shielded them and cared for them,

guarding them as the apple of his eye.

 

As an eagle incites its nestlings forth

by hovering over its brood,

so he spread his wings to receive them

and bore them up on his pinions.

The Lord alone was their leader,

no strange god was with him.

 

Glory to the Father….

 

Word of God (Isaiah 63:15-16)

 

Look down from heaven and regard us/ from your holy and glorious palace!/ Where is your zealous care and your might,/ your surge of pity and your mercy?/ O Lord, hold not back,/ for you are our father./ Were Abraham not to know us,/ nor Israel to acknowledge us,/ You, Lord, are our father,/ our redeemer you are named forever.

I will not leave you nor forsake you. (Jos 1:5)

 

Canticle of Zechariah

 

O Lord, you are our father;/ we are the clay and you the potter:/ we are all the work of your hands. (Is 64:7)

 

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

 

Through his holy prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

 

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

 

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

 

You, my child, shall be called the prophet

of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

 

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness

and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

 

Glory to the Father…

 

Intercessions

 

God will never forsake the work of his hands. Assured of his love, let us place before him our own needs and the needs of the world:

R/Our Redeemer you are named forever!

You are the rock on which we stand firm:

– uphold those who seek to live justly in places of ­injustice. R/

You are without deceit:

– free those who conceal their hearts in falsehood and betray others’ trust. R/

You alone are our leader:

– protect us from the allure of false messiahs. R/

 

Personal intentions

 

Our Father….

 

O God of justice and of love, you care for your people in every time and place, despite our tendency to stray from you in our foolishness. Keep us in your care from morning until evening, that we may come to rest safely in the shadow of your all-powerful wings. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

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Prayer for the Evening (Monday, November 1)

Catholic Morning Offering Prayer

Prayer for the Morning (Sunday, October 31)

Prayer for the Evening on All Souls day

Our Prayer for the Evening on All Souls day is that God may pardon the holy souls in purgatory.

“The Church has always strongly advised that we pray for the dead. She invites believers to regard the mystery of death not as the ‘last word’ of human destiny but rather as a passage to eternal life. As we read in the Preface of today’s Mass: When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death we gain an everlasting dwelling place in heaven.”—Pope Saint John Paul II

Prayer for the Evening

 

Let us exult and rejoice in the Lord

all the days of our life!

 

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!

 

HYMN

 

Father of Jesus Christ, my Lord,

My Savior and my Head;

I trust in you, whose powerful Word

Has raised him from the dead.

 

To you the glory of your power

And faithfulness I give;

I shall in Christ, at that glad hour,

And Christ in me shall live.

 

PSALM 90:1-6, 14-15

 

Make us know the shortness of our life/ that we may gain wisdom of the heart. (Ps 90:12)

All humanity is bound together by the common mortality in which Christ Jesus came to share. With us he died, so that in him we might rise to everlasting life. Let us learn from those who have gone before us how to live well so that we may die well, and let us accompany them on their journey with our love and prayer.

 

O Lord, you have been our refuge

from one generation to the next.

Before the mountains were born

or the earth or the world brought forth,

you are God, without beginning or end.

 

You turn men back to dust

and say: “Go back, sons of men.”

To your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday, come and gone,

no more than a watch in the night.

 

You sweep men away like a dream,

like grass that springs up in the morning.

In the morning it springs up and flowers:

by evening it withers and fades.

 

In the morning, fill us with your love;

we shall exult and rejoice all our days.

Give us the joy to balance our affliction

for the years when we knew misfortune.

 

Glory to the Father….

 

Word of God (John 6:39-40)

 

“This is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it [on] the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day.”

 

I am the resurrection and the life;

whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live. (Jn 11:25)

 

CANTICLE OF MARY

 

If we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. (Rom 6:5)

 

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior

for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

 

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

 

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

 

He has shown the strength of his arm,

[he] has scattered the pride in their conceit.

 

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones

and has lifted up the lowly.

 

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

 

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children forever.

 

Glory to the Father…

 

INTERCESSIONS

 

Through Christ, who became like us in all things but sin, let us pray for those who have died:

R/Give them joy, O Lord!

You were born into the world of death so that you might bring abundant life:

– raise to new life all those who have died in poverty and pain. R/

You took on our flesh, subject to death so that we might take on new life in you:

– raise to new life those who have died in illness, ­violence, and deprivation. R/

You died on the cross, that we might rise from the grave:

– raise to new life those who have been tortured, ­murdered, or executed. R/

Your Mother endured the sorrow of your death, that we might know the gladness of your rising:

– raise up all those who are bowed down under the ­sorrow of bereavement. R/

 

Personal intentions

 

Our Father….

 

May the angels lead us into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome us and lead us into the holy city Jerusalem. Amen. (In Paradisum)

 

Marian Antiphon

Medieval Antiphon

Rejoice, O Mother of God, O Virgin Immaculate;

[rejoice], you who received joy from an angel;

rejoice, you who bore the glory of the light everlasting;

[rejoice], O Mother, rejoice,

O holy Virgin Mother of God;

you alone a maiden Mother,

all creation praises you, the Mother of light;

may you be for us, we beseech you,

a perpetual intercessor.

 

Salve Regina

 

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.

Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

 

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,

illos tuos misericordes oculos

ad nos converte.

Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

 

Hail, holy Queen

 

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope.

To you do we cry,

poor banished children of Eve.

To you do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Turn then, O most gracious advocate,

your eyes of mercy toward us,

and after this our exile

show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

 

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Alma Redemptoris Mater

Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia Caeli

porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,

surgere qui curat, populo: tu quae genuisti,

natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,

Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore

sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.

Loving mother of the Redeemer

 

Loving mother of the Redeemer,

gate of heaven, star of the sea,

assist your people who have fallen yet strive

to rise again.

To the wonderment of nature, you bore your Creator,

yet remained a virgin after as before.

You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,

have pity on us, poor sinners.

 

V/ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R/ That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

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Prayer that a deceased person will reach the joys of Heaven

2

When a person dies, we can pray for them that they will make that final journey into the arms of God.

It can be difficult to hear of someone’s passing from this life to the next. A void is left when a person dies, which no one can fill. The good news is that death does not have the final word! However, It is only the beginning of our true life, moving on to our eternal resting place. In addition, This is why we say the Prayer that a deceased person will reach the joys of Heaven.

In the Catholic tradition, we believe that our prayers can help speed along a person’s journey to Heaven if they are in purgatory.

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Where is Purgatory in the Bible?

Here is a prayer from Fr. Francis Xavier Lasance in his book My Prayer Book that prays for a deceased person, that they will reach the joys of Heaven.

 

O Lord, we ask you, on behalf of the soul of your servant whom you have called out of this world; look upon him/her with pity and let him/her be conducted by the holy angels to paradise, his/her true country. Grant that he/she who believed in you and hoped in you, may be admitted to eternal joys. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, Who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns world without end. Amen.

 

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Prayer of hope to join the deceased family in Heaven

A Prayer for a Deceased Father or Mother

Prayer to imitate the virtues of Mary, Queen of Heaven