“If things created are so full of loveliness, how resplendent with beauty must be the One who made them!” ~ St. Anthony of Padua
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Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new. Late have I loved you!
You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for You. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which You created. You were with me, but I was not from You. Created things kept me from You; yet if they had not been in You, they would not have been at all. You called, You shouted, and You broke through my deafness. You flashed, You shone, and You dispelled my blindness. You breathed Your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for You. I have tasted You; now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for Your peace.
Prayer of Pope Clement XI
Lord, I believe in You: increase my faith.
I trust in You; strengthen my trust.
I love You; let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins; deepen my sorrow.
I worship You as my first beginning.
I long for You as my last end.
I praise You as my constant helper, and I call You as my loving protector.
I want to do what You ask of me in the way You ask, for as long as You ask, because You ask it.
Let me love You, Lord, as my God, and see myself as I really am: a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all those lives I touch.
Prayer of Karl Rahner, SJ
God of my life, only in love can I find You, my God.
In love, the gates of my soul spring open, allowing me to breathe a new air of freedom and forget my own petty self.
In love, my whole being streams forth out of the rigid confines of narrowness and anxious self-assertion, which makes me a prisoner of my own poverty and emptiness.
In love, all the powers of my soul flow out toward You, wanting never more to return, but to lose themselves completely in You, since by Your love, You are the inmost center of my heart, closer to me than I am to myself.
But when I love You, when I manage to break out of the narrow circle of self and leave behind the restless agony of unanswered questions, when my blinded eyes no longer look merely from afar and from the outside upon your unapproacheable brightness, and much more when You Yourself, O Incomprehensible One, have become through love the inmost center of my life, then I can bury myself entirely in You, O mysterious God, and with myself all my questions.
Prayer of St. Benedict
Almighty God, Give us wisdom to perceive you, intellect to understand you, diligence to seek you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, a heart to meditate upon you, and life to proclaim you, through the power of the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Prayer of St. Anselm
O Lord, our God, grant us grace to desire You with a whole heart, so that desiring You, we may seek and find You, and so, finding You, may love You, and loving You, may hate those sins which separate us from You, for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Prayer of St. Jude
Oh glorious apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of His enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases--of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so miserable; make use, I implore you, of that particular privilege accorded you of bringing visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (mention your request), and that I may bless God with you and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise you, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Amen.
Prayer to St. Anne for Grandparents
O Good Saint Anne, help me to recognize the great dignity of being a grandparent. Direct my paths to understand and experience all the graces God wishes for me in this vital role within my family.When all is well, grant that I may fully share in the joys and accomplishments of all my loved ones. When life is difficult, lead me to be a source of encouragement, support and hope for everyone. During times of illness and suffering, give me the strength to guide my family to firmly trust in God’s loving care and kindness.As you did, Saint Anne, help me to know and practice all the ways God wishes for me to be an encouraging presence of faith, charity and unity within my family. Watch over and protect me, my children and my grandchildren. Inspire us to lead good and virtuous lives.Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary, I ask for God’s continued blessings on my family, that dedicated to God’s service on earth, all the members of my family may one day share together in the eternal happiness of God’s unending love in Heaven. Amen.