My favorite prayers are the ones I "Make-Up" ... that is... I just try to talk to God about what's on my mind or in my heart at the moment .... I do wish He would Talk-Back in a more direct way or just send me an e-mail ... but .. Ya know what? I think He does but I'm not smart enough to figure that out ;-( Merry CHRISTmas ;-)
The Hail Mary, so simple, so magnificent.... Millions of Catholics often say the Hail Mary. Some repeat it hastily not even thinking on the words they are saying. These following words may help some say it more thoughtfully. They can give God's Mother great joy and obtain for themselves graces that she wishes to give them. One Hail Mary well said fills the heart of Our Lady with delight and obtains for us indescribably great graces. One Hail Mary well said gives us more graces than a thousand thoughtlessly said. The Hail Mary is like a mine of gold that we can always take from but never exhaust. Is it hard to say the Hail Mary well? All we have to do is to know its value and understand its meaning. St. Jerome tells us that "the truths contained in the Hail Mary are so sublime, so wonderful that no man or Angel could fully understand them." St. Thomas Aquinas, the Prince of Theologians, "the wisest of Saints and holiest of wise men," as Leo XIII called him, preached for 40 days in Rome on the Hail Mary, filling his hearers with rapture. Father F. Suarez, the holy and learned Jesuit, declared when dying that he would willingly give all the many learned books he wrote, all his life's labors, for the merit of one Hail Mary prayerfully and devoutly said. St. Mechtilde, who loved our Lady very much, was one day striving to compose a beautiful prayer in her honor. Our Lady appeared to her, with the golden letters on her breast of: "Hail Mary full of grace." She said to her: "Desist, dear child, from your labor for no prayer you could possibly compose would give me the joy and delight of the Hail Mary." A certain man found joy in saying slowly the Hail Mary. The Blessed Virgin in return appeared to him smiling and announced to him the day and hour that he should die, granting him a most holy and happy death. After death a beautiful white lily grew from his mouth having written on its petals: "Hail Mary." Cesarius recounts a similar incident. A humble and holy monk lived in the monastery. His poor mind and memory were so weak that he could only repeat one prayer which was the "Hail Mary." After death a tree grew over his grave and on all its leaves was written: "Hail Mary." These beautiful legends show us how much devotion to Our Lady was valued, and the power attributed to the Hail Mary devoutly prayed. Each time that we say the Hail Mary we are repeating the very same words with which St. Gabriel the Archangel saluted Mary on the day of the Annunciation, when she was made Mother of the Son of God. Many graces and joys filled the soul of Mary at that moment. Now when we say the Hail Mary we offer anew all these graces and joys to Our Lady and she accepts them with Immense delight. In return she gives us a share in these joys. Once Our Lord asked St. Francis Assisi to give Him something. The Saint replied: "Dear Lord, I can give You nothing for I have already given you all, all my love." Jesus smiled and said: "Francis, give Me it all again and again, it will give Me the same pleasure." So with our dearest Mother, she accepts from us each time we say the Hail Mary the joys and delight she received from the words of St. Gabriel. Almighty God gave His Blessed Mother all the dignity, greatness and holiness necessary to make her His own most perfect Mother. But He also gave her all the sweetness, love, tenderness and affection necessary to make her our most loving Mother. Mary is truly and really our Mother. As children when in trouble run to their mothers for help, so ought we to run at once with unbounded confidence to Mary. St. Bernard and many Saints said that it was never, never heard at any time or in any place that Mary refused to hear the prayers of her children on earth. Why do we not realize this most consoling truth? Why refuse the love and consolation that God's Sweet Mother is offering us? Is it our lamentable ignorance which deprives us of such help and consolation. To love and trust Mary is to be happy on earth now and afterwards to be happy in Heaven. Dr. Hugh Lammer was a staunch Protestant, with strong prejudices against the Catholic Church. One day he found an explanation of the Hail Mary and read it. He was so charmed with it that he began to say it daily. Insensibly all his anti-Catholic animosity began to disappear. He became a Catholic, a holy priest and a professor of Catholic Theology in Breslau. A priest was called to the bedside of a man who was dying in despair because of his sins. Yet he refused obstinately to go to confession. As a last recourse the priest asked him to say at least the Hail Mary after which the poor man made a sincere confession and died a holy death. In England, a parish priest was asked to go and see a Protestant lady who was gravely ill, and who wished to become a Catholic. Asked if she had ever gone to a Catholic Church, or, if she had spoken to Catholics, or if she had read Catholic books? She replied, "No, no." All she could remember was that------when a child------she had learned from a little Catholic neighbor girl the Hail Mary, which she said every night. She was Baptized and before dying had the happiness of seeing her husband and children Baptized. St. Gertrude tells us in her book, "Revelations" that when we thank God for the graces He has given to any Saint, we get a great share of those particular graces. What graces, then, do we not receive when we say the Hail Mary while thanking God for all the unspeakable graces He has given His Blessed Mother?
Angel of God, My Guardian Dear to whom God's love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side to light and guard and rule and guide. Amen.
I love the Memore (PotatoSack's nuclear weapon - that always makes me smile). The pray I say most often right now is "Jesus forgive me, save me and please make me do better". It hasn't worked yet, but I have hope.......
The Memore of course and the rosary...well the rosary with a good cup of coffee as that seems to help my meditation
Communion Prayer O Lord, I believe and profess that You are truly Christ, the Son of the living God, Who came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first. Accept me as a partaker of Your mystical supper, O Son of God, for I will not reveal Your mystery to Your enemies, nor will I give you a kiss as did Judas, but like the thief I confess to You: Remember me, O Lord, when You shall come into Your kingdom. Remember me, O Master, when You shall come into Your kingdom. Remember me, O Holy One, when You shall come into Your kingdom. May the partaking of Your Holy mysteries, O Lord, be not for my judgment or condemnation, but for the healing of my soul and body. O Lord, I also believe and profess that this, which I am about to receive, is truly Your most precious body and Your life-giving blood, which, I pray, make me worthy to receive for the remission of all my sins and for life everlasting. Amen. O God, be merciful to me a sinner. O God, cleanse me of my sins and have mercy on me. O Lord, forgive me for I have sinned without number.
The chaplet of divine mercy. Every time I say it, my mind goes to so many different places and I get off track easy from the prayer formula and call on so many other prayers and sympathies to the Lord for His suffering for us in the middle of the chaplet. There are so many times this chaplet brings me to tears in praying with the Lord. I get so attached to His suffering in this prayer and what should take 10-15 minutes to recite can easily turn into 30 to 45 minutes. The runner up is the 7 Sorrows of Mary devotion. This too can bring me to tears in remembering the sorrows and sufferings Our dear Mother endured as well. This is especially powerful for me when getting to the last 3 sorrows because as a father who lost a child at 17 months, I can relate to much of what Our Mother went through and that gets hard sometimes to go through and relive but I feel great healing and love while doing so and feel such closeness to Mary.
Rosary, Chaplet of DM as they were given by Our Lord and Our Lady. I also love the Jesus Prayer - "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
My "Made-Up" Prayer of 2014: "Heavenly Father, Please send Jesus, The Holy Ghost, St Michael and Your Celestial Host to us. Not as The Host of a Just Judge but that of a King of Mercy. Amen!
Along with the rosary and the Memorare, I also have a secret weapon. "Oh, Jesus, if this is your will, please make it sweet and easy." Our Blessed Mother can untie knots in our lives, but she must have learned it from Jesus! The "sweet and easy" prayer is particularly effective when the enemy is attacking a good you're trying to do.
So many, this is a current favorite, so easy to learn if you say it each day, maybe its because it rhymes. Veni Creator Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o'erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. The Magnificat is a wonderful prayer also.
Favourite prayers are a bit like best friends that accompany us along the road. At the moment as I become more and more conscious of my sins, that time is running out and I never have yet made it to become a saint which I always from childhood wanted to be I find the Jesus prayer walking right alongside me to cheer me up.
The funny thing is you are a saint. Maybe the Pope won't declare it. But if you are not a saint then get ready for the other side Brother al
Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy. But in many ways answering the question 'which is my favourite prayers' is a bit like when my kids ask me what's my favourite colour - I say my favourite colour grass is green, sky is blue, hair is blonde, chocolate is brown... Every situation has a prayer most appropriate, but if in doubt there's the Our Father or just plain old 'God, help!'
