Why do we Pray?
"We pray so that we can converse with God. Prayer is essentially talking to God. You can have a conversation like “Lord, what do you want me to do today?” Or, “Lord, did I offend you today?” Or, “Lord, were my actions pleasing to you today?” “Lord, I love you and I thank you for taking care of me and my family” Many people converse with God when they want something . . . it goes like this: “Lord gimme … gimme … gimme.” This is not the ideal approach. However, if you are praying for yourself or someone else who is sick, you can say “Lord, please heal me and heal my sister too.”
The Church believes that it is necessary for a Christian to meditate (prayerfully think about) the will of God, the life and teachings of Jesus, the price He paid for our salvation, and so on. Unless we do this we will begin to take these great gifts for granted and ultimately fall away from the Lord. Every Christian must meditate in some way in order to preserve the gift of salvation (James 1:22-25). Many Catholic and non-Catholic Christians prayerfully read and apply Scripture to their lives, that is, meditate on them. With the rosary this can be done virtually anywhere and anytime.
Our Father
Apostles Creed
“"I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead."
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you 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.
Hail Mary
Glory Be to the Father
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Act of Contrition
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Everyday prayer for encouragement
“Fill me now Oh Lord with the gift of the Holy Spirit to carry your most Holy Word to sinners who I must help save in your name. Help me to cover them, through my prayers, with your precious blood so that they can be drawn to your Sacred Heart. Give me the gift of the Holy Spirit so that these poor souls can revel in your New Paradise.”
Cry for help of the youth to Jesus:
“Jesus if you can hear me, then listen to my call for help. Please help me deal with those who cause me pain. Help me to stop envy taking over my life and to stop me wishing for things I cannot have. Instead, open my heart to you dear Jesus. Help me to feel real love – your love And to feel true peace in my heart. Amen”
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins because of Your just punishments, but most of all because they offend You, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen
An Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Abyss of Mercy and Source of every grace and blessing, I consecrate and unite myself to You without exception or reserve – all that I am and all that I have, both temporal and spiritual, past present and future, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your Mother. I leave myself entirely at Your disposal with complete confidence in Your Mercy and Love and I beg You to look upon this offering of my nothingness before You and to use me for Your own glory, for the honor of Your Mother and for the salvation of souls. Help me to seek You alone in all things. Hide me in the shelter of Your Most Sacred Heart and be my only Consolation and Refuge. Grant me the graces I need to joyfully accept Your Cross daily, to lead a holy life and to die a holy death in Your service. Help me to trust completely in Your Mercy and Love and never to fear to humbly throw myself before the infinite Ocean of mercy which is Your Most Sacred Heart, especially at those times when I may fail in my faithfulness in Your service. Through this weak and miserable instrument, may Your Mercy, Love, glory and power shine forth. Above all, set my poor heart on fire with the Flame of Love which burns in Your Most Sacred Heart, and teach me how to return love for Love. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me – for I place all my trust in You.”
An Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
“O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and Refuge of Sinners, we consecrate ourselves to thy Immaculate Heart. We consecrate to thee our very being and our whole life: all that we have, all that we love, all that we are. To thee we give our bodies, our hearts, and our souls; to thee we give our homes, our families and our country. We desire that all that is in us and around us may belong to thee and may share in the benefits of thy motherly blessing. And, that this act of consecration may be truly fruitful and lasting, we renew this day at thy feet the promises of our Baptism and our First Holy Communion. We pledge ourselves to profess courageously and at all times the truths of our holy Faith, and to live as befits Catholics, who are submissive to all directions of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him. We pledge ourselves to keep the Commandments of God and His Church, in particular to keep holy the Lord's Day. We pledge ourselves to make the consoling practices of the Christian religion, and above all, Holy Communion, an important part of our lives, in so far as we shall be able to do. Finally, we promise thee, O glorious Mother of God and loving Mother of men, to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the spreading of devotion to thy Immaculate Heart, in order to hasten and assure, through the queenly rule of thy Immaculate Heart, the coming of the kingdom of the Sacred Heart of thy adorable Son, in our own hearts and in those of all men, in our country, and in all the world, as in Heaven, so on earth. Amen.
