Category Archives: Daily Prayer

Prayer of the Rosary

Jesus said: “There is no problem or difficulty that cannot be solved or resolved by faithful persevering recourse to My Mother’s most holy Rosary. The Rosary is My Mother’s gift to the poor and to the simple, to the little ones who alone are capable of hearing the Gospel in all its purity and of responding to it with a generous heart.

“It is to such as these—the childlike and the weak, the poor and the trusting—that the Rosary is given. It is to such as these that the Rosary belongs.

“There are no sufferings that cannot be borne peacefully, so long as a soul is praying the Rosary. Through the Rosary, all the grace and power of My mysteries passes through My Mother’s Immaculate Heart into the hearts of the little ones who invoke her, repeating the angel’s “Ave” over and over again. There are illnesses that can be cured through the Rosary.

“There are clouds of darkness and confusion that only the Rosary can disperse, and this because it is My Mother’s favourite prayer, a prayer that originated in the heights of heaven and was carried to earth by My Archangel, a prayer echoed and amplified in the Church through the ages, a prayer loved by all My saints, a prayer of disarming power and of immense depth.

“There are those who find the Rosary difficult. The difficulty lies not in the Rosary but in the complexity of those who struggle to enter into its simplicity. Invite souls to the prayer of the Rosary; through it I will heal the sick of mind and body, through it I will give peace where there is conflict, through it I will make great saints out of great sinners, through it I will sanctify My priests, give joy to My consecrated ones, and raise up new vocations in abundance.

“Listen, then, to My Mother’s plea in so many places. Listen to her, take her plea to heart, pray her Rosary and, for you, as for her, My Father will do wondrous things.”

Words of Jesus to a Benedictine Monk in prayer.

From: “In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart — the Journal of a Priest at Prayer.” 2nd December 2014

Consecration to St Joseph

“So then, my son, tell all those that honour this Chaste Heart of mine they will receive the grace of my protection from all evils and dangers. For those who surrender to me will not be slaughtered by misfortunes, by wars, hunger, by diseases and other calamities, they will have my Heart as a refuge for their protection. Here, in my Heart, all will be protected against the divine justice in the days that will come. All who consecrate themselves to my Heart, honouring it, they will be looked upon by my Son Jesus with eyes of mercy, Jesus will pour out his love and will take to the glory of his Kingdom all those I put in my Heart.”

(Message of Saint Joseph to a humble soul in Brazil, 7th March 1998)

Prayer of Consecration to the Chaste Heart of St Joseph:

“O Blessed St. Joseph, tender-hearted father, faithful guardian of Jesus, chaste spouse of the Mother of God, I pray you to join with me in praising God the Father through his divine Son, who died on the cross and rose again to give us sinners new life. Through the holy name of Jesus, pray with me that we may obtain from the eternal Father, the favor we ask for [Consecrate me in your most Chaste Heart and in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and adopt me as your own child, as truly as Jesus became your adopted Son]. We have been unfaithful to the unfailing love of God the Father; beg of Jesus mercy for us his brothers and sisters. Amid the splendors of God’s loving presence, do not forget the sorrows of those who suffer, those who pray, those who weep. By your prayers and those of your most holy Spouse, our Blessed Lady, may the love of Jesus answer our call of confident hope. Amen.”

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.

More on St Joseph.

30 Day Novena to St Joseph

Our Lady once revealed to Venerable Mary of Agreda that “Whatever my spouse asks of the Lord in Heaven is granted upon the earth.”

This 30 day Novena Prayer to Saint Joseph, prayed with confidence in honour of the 30 years he spent with Jesus and Mary, has been known to draw great graces and even miracles from heaven. To take part in this Novena, say the following prayer every day for 30 days, followed by one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

PRAYER

Revised and enlarged by LG Sleiman, 5th March 2023

Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! 

You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenceless, the patron of those in need and sorrow. 

Look kindly on my requests. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. 

To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection. 

Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favors I ask of you. 

I ask it in virtue of the purity of heart and excellence of love with which you committed your life to the service of God. 

I ask it in virtue of the joy and beatitude that filled your heart when you were betrothed to the holy Virgin Mary.

I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to descend from Heaven to earth and to be clothed in human nature because He delights to dwell among the children of men. 

I ask it by the joy that filled your heart when the angel revealed to you that Mary’s child was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

I ask it in virtue of your holy matrimony, the joyful harmony of your lives, and the blessed union of your hearts.

I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the Queen of Heaven and, being everywhere refused, you were forced to take shelter in an abandoned cave.

I ask it in virtue of your joy when you witnessed the peace that quietly descended upon a sleeping world when the Son of God was born of the holy Virgin Mary on a cold winter night in Bethlehem. 

I ask it in virtue of your joy in seeing the Divine Child visited by angels, shepherds, and wise men from the East. 

I ask it by the loveliness and power of the sacred Name of Jesus which you conferred on the adorable Infant. 

I ask it by the painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared Jesus and Mary future victims of our sins and of their great love for us. 

I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies, so that you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother to Egypt. 

I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.

I ask it by all the care and solicitude with which you embarked upon your return journey home with Jesus and Mary, when you were instructed to come out of Egypt. 

I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys, ever new infusions of divine grace, and so many tokens of God’s loving kindness. 

I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His Mother for three days after your visit to Jerusalem. 

I ask it by your indescribable joy at finding Him in the Temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of Jesus and Mary. 

I ask it by the indescribable humility Jesus manifested in His submission and obedience to you.

I ask it in virtue of the love and fidelity with which you continued to serve Jesus and Mary all the days of your life.

I ask it by the perfect love and obedience with which you accepted the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary.

I ask it in virtue of your sacred and holy and happy death, because you died in the arms of Jesus and Mary. 

I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world rose from the dead, took possession of His Kingdom, and led you therein with special honors. 

I ask it through Mary’s glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you share with her in the presence of God. 

O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask. (Here name your petitions or think of them.) Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers and all those who pray for me everything that is useful to them in the plan of God.

My dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of JESUS, MARY and JOSEPH.

“A blameless life, St. Joseph, may we lead, by your kind patronage from danger freed.”

St Joseph, Pray for us.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be. 

The Infinite Merits Of Christ

The merits of our Lord’s Cross and Resurrection have infinite value before the Father, and that for all time and eternity. These merits are never diminished, much as they are graciously poured out upon all souls. (See: Catechism of Catholic Church, 1476-1477)

We have access to Christ’s infinite merits through the gift of faith, through the Sacraments, and through the gift of prayer.

Our Lord Jesus also chose to open the floodgates, to pour out His infinite merits, His Divine Mercy, especially at three o’clock, the holy hour of His sacred death on the Cross:

“At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.” (Diary of St Faustina, 1320)

There is nothing that the soul cannot obtain from our Lord Jesus when it comes to Him with confidence and trust in His infinite goodness and mercy.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, in virtue of the infinite love with which you opened your arms upon the Cross and suffered death in order to give us life, in virtue of your Divine Mercy, deliver us from our miseries.

Drive away the dangers that threaten our lives and salvation, cover us in your precious Blood, do not put us to the test, lead us not into temptation, fill us with true and perfect contrition for our sins, with the spirit of reconciliation, with the spirit of prayer, with the deepest love of your Sacred Passion, restore us to your friendship, and grant us your Holy Spirit evermore.

(You can say this prayer at the start of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, if you like)

See more prayers: https://jesusrisen.me/category/daily-prayer/ 

Rosary: the Sorrowful Mysteries

Introductory Prayers for each of the five sorrowful mysteries.

LG Sleiman

1. Prayer and Agony of our Lord Jesus in the Garden of Olives.

Lord Jesus, source of all peace and serenity, during your prayer and agony in the Garden, you suffered such anguish and pain that you sweated drops of blood upon the ground. In virtue of the love which moved you to suffer so profoundly, turn our hearts back to God, strengthen our resolve to love you, and unite us with the holy will of God.

2. The Scourging of our Lord Jesus at the Pillar.

Lord Jesus, heavenly Physician, you were wounded so that we may be healed (Isaiah 53:5). Hide us in the depths of your sacred wounds, cover us in your Precious Blood, until we are healed, in body, soul, and spirit, until we blossom in every way under the light of your healing Love.

3. The Crowning with Thorns.

Lord Jesus, King of eternal glory, you were crowned with thorns, as though no one recognised your Dignity, your selfless Love, your Royal Priesthood. But you submitted to this crown in order to set us free from pride, ignorance, and arrogance. Grant that, by your wounds, we may be healed.

4. The Way of the Cross.

Lord Jesus, eternal Word of the Father, on the way of the Cross you met your holy Mother Mary, with the gaze of Her loving eyes. In that moment, Her Immaculate Heart was completely open to you, just as your Sacred Heart was completely open to Mary. Grant that all our troubles, trials, and temptations may be surrendered to the silent communion you shared with your holy Mother in that mutual gaze, that you may restore us to purity of heart, integrity of spirit, and to your divine friendship.

5. The Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lord Jesus, the Author of life, you suffered a most cruel death on the Cross in order to restore us to the house of the Father. Grant that we may surrender to your love at the foot of the Cross, and give you all our sins, burdens, and illnesses of body, soul and spirit, with unbounded confidence in your Divine Mercy, that you may save us, O Lord, sanctify us, and restore us to full communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prayer for a Loved One

In the midst of my plight, I turn to you, O holy Mother of God, my Mother, begging you to turn the gaze of your merciful eyes upon me, surround me with your love and protection, and lead me to know and love your divine Son, Jesus Christ my Lord.

A loved one of mine was going through a difficult time in her life and, as I looked on, I sought to pray for her in the same measure as her difficulties were great.

My prayer was guided by what I had recently discovered about the intimate union of our Lady with the Sacred Heart of her divine Son, in the midst of His most difficult moments, through the revelations of Sister Maria of Agreda (a 16th century Franciscan nun in Spain).

Sister Maria writes that holy Mary, through a special grace, was given the privilege of “seeing” all that her divine Son suffered during His Sacred Passion, as well as perceiving the unceasing acts of love and prayer of His Sacred Heart.

Christ had long promised His Mother that “in return for the new human existence which she had given Him in her virginal womb [the Incarnation], He would, by His almighty power, give her a new existence of divine and eminent grace above all other creatures”, and this promise of Christ “was continually fulfilled [in the course of her earthly life].”

“To this favour was due also her deep science and enlightenment concerning all the operations of the sacred humanity of her Son, none of which ever escaped her knowledge and attention.”

But whatever Mary “perceived” in the interior of her Son’s Heart, she also ”imitated” with fidelity:

“Whatever she thus perceived she imitated; so that she was always anxious to study and penetrate [Christ’s interior acts] with deep understanding, to put them promptly into action, and to practice them courageously and zealously during all her life. In this neither sorrow could disturb her, nor anguish hinder her, nor persecution detain her, nor the bitterness of her suffering weaken her.”

As a consequence of her “deep science and enlightenment”, Mary “felt in her own virginal body all the torments of Christ our Lord, both interior and exterior.”

But within such a hidden mystery, “there was concealed therein another mystery. This was, that the desire of Christ to see His exalted love and [goodness] as exhibited in His Passion copied in all its magnitude in a mere creature, was fulfilled in her, and no one possessed a greater right to this favour than His own Mother.” (Mystical City of God, volume 3, Chapter XXII, 670)

Thus was Mary increasingly conformed to the likeness of her divine Son, both in His suffering and in His acts of mercy—even in the midst of His most difficult and painful torments.

Filled with these thoughts, I pondered, how much more can Mary’s vision penetrate the depths of our own experiences, trials, and struggles?

With each glance of her soul, Mary understood the depth of Christ’s suffering as well as the unfathomable love which moved Him to suffer. If her gaze can penetrate all the depth of the Son of God’s suffering, love, and interior movements, how much more can Mary penetrate all the depth of our own hearts?

Do we not pray in the Salve Regina, “…turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus”?

Just as Mother Mary was fully present to Christ in His suffering, she is also able to be present to me in the course of my earthly pilgrimage, and nothing is impervious to the turn of her merciful gaze.

By a special grace from God, the one who is “full of grace”, with one glance of her eyes, understands me better than I understand myself. And with that understanding, Mother Mary sees clearly all the depth of my struggles, the nature of my pain, and the desires of my heart.

I therefore resolved to make the following prayer for my loved one, and to entrust her, and all the dimensions of her quest, to the holy Mother of God:

I beseech you, holy Mother of God, my Mother Mary, to turn your loving gaze upon my loved one, surround her on every side with your unfailing protection; cover her in your holy mantle; press her to your holy bosom; and receive all the depth of her needs, struggles, and intentions in your Immaculate Heart—both those intentions that are spoken, and those that remain hidden—with the same love with which you never failed to watch over your divine Son, unto peace, joy, and eternal life.

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

LG Sleiman

When My Own Designs

When my own designs in life are frustrated and I feel like a failure, I might stop and consider the will of God. When my own strategies and ideas come to naught and I feel like a fool, I might begin to seek the wisdom of God. When my own strength fails me and I feel all alone in this world, it’s time to discover the grace of God and the power of trust in Him.

Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” St John 15:4,5.
 
Lord Jesus, in difficult moments grant me to realise that, if You allow me on occasion to fall, it is only to draw me back into the Loving Heart of God, wherein is my true beatitude, and to place all my confidence in You.
 
Amen.
 
 

Saint John Paul II

Today 2nd April 2015 is exactly ten years since John Paul II passed away.

St John Paul II, clothed in Jesus Christ, you walked through so many dangers and troubles in this world and you rose to victory even in this life, taking countless souls with you, and inspiring the whole world to believe in God’s goodness and mercy. Pray for us that we may keep our eyes on the Truth, always be filled with hope, and learn to overcome in Christ, to the glory of God and for our eternal welfare. Amen.

O Breathe In Me

O breathe in me Your spirit of Life, Lord Jesus, and grant me to breathe all my weakness in You. O breathe in me Your spirit of Wisdom, Lord Jesus, and grant me to breathe all my thoughts in You. O breathe in me Your spirit of Love, Lord Jesus, and grant me to breathe all my desires in You.

That It May Please You, Lord

St Gertrude the Great was born on this day, 6th January, the Feast of the Epiphany.

The following prayer was made by St Gertrude when she noticed that, relying on her own strength, she was inclined to waste the graces of God, particularly the grace of God’s presence with which The Lord had favoured her:

“And that it may please You [Lord] to preserve this precious grace in me, I offer You that excellent prayer which You uttered with such amazing fervour when sweating blood in agony, and which the burning love of Your Divinity and Your pure devotion rendered so efficacious; beseeching You, by virtue of this most perfect prayer, to draw and unite me entirely to Yourself, that I may remain inseparably attached to You.”