Prayers & Quotes to lift your spirit 

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.  Anon.

"If you do not live what you believe, you will end up believing what you live." —Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Litany of Humility

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

 

From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being honoured, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, O Jesus.

 

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be praised and I go unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

 

Charity is patient, is kind; charity does not envy, is not pretentious, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, is not self-seeking, is not provoked; thinks no evil, does not rejoice over wickedness, but rejoices with the truth, bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7).

 

To have Charity, is to love God above all things, for Himself, and be ready to renounce all created things, rather than offend Him by serious sin. ( Matt. 22:36-40)

 

Cardinal Merry del Val was the Secretary of State to Pope Saint Pius X (1903-1914)

LITANY OF TRUST 

From the belief that I have to earn Your love Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear that I am unlovable Deliver me, Jesus.

From the false security that I have what it takes Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute Deliver me, Jesus.

From all suspicion of Your words and promises Deliver me, Jesus.

From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You Deliver me, Jesus.

From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will Deliver me, Jesus.

From anxiety about the future Deliver me, Jesus.

From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past Deliver me, Jesus.

From restless self-seeking in the present moment Deliver me, Jesus.

From disbelief in Your love and presence Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of being asked to give more than I have Deliver me, Jesus.

From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth Deliver me, Jesus.

From the fear of what love demands Deliver me, Jesus.

From discouragement Deliver me, Jesus.

 

That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me Jesus, I trust in You.

That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings and transforms me Jesus, I trust in You.

That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You Jesus, I trust in You.

That You are with me in my suffering Jesus, I trust in You.

That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next Jesus, I trust in You.

That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church Jesus, I trust in You.

That Your plan is better than anything else Jesus, I trust in You.

That You always hear me and in Your goodness always respond to me Jesus, I trust in You.

That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others Jesus, I trust in You.

That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked Jesus, I trust in You.

That my life is a gift Jesus, I trust in You. That You will teach me to trust You Jesus, I trust in You.

That You are my Lord and my God Jesus, I trust in You. That I am Your beloved one Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Written by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, SV

SISTERS OF LIFE

When we live animated by the Holy Spirit, our lives produce fruit that not only makes our own life more peaceful, patient, and loving but also influences positively those whom we encounter each and every day. 

Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR - from The Wild Goose

Lord, take me where you want me to go, let me meet who you want me to meet, tell me what you want me to say, and keep me out of your way.

Fr. Michael JUDGE (OFM) [1933 - 2001]

The fruit of silence is PRAYER.

The fruit of prayer is FAITH.

The fruit of faith is SERVICE.

The fruit of service is PEACE.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

So much is happening on earth that cannot be fixed or explained, 

but it can be felt and suffered.

I think a Christian is one who, along with Jesus, agrees to feel, 

to suffer the pain of the world.

Richard Rohr

Blessed be God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, a gentle Father and the God of all consolation, who comforts us in our sorrows, so that we can offer others, in their sorrows, the consolation that we have recieved from God ourselves.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Unless you have suffered and wept, you really don’t understand what compassion is, nor can you give comfort to someone who is suffering. If you haven’t cried, you can’t dry another’s eyes. Unless you’ve walked in darkness, you can’t help wanderers find the way. Unless you’ve looked into the eyes of menacing death and felt its hot breath, you can’t help another rise from the dead, and taste anew the joy of being alive. 

All of us will have to render an account of our lives when we die. God will not be interested in who or what we were. No, only in this: how did we live? That will be the sole matter for judgment. A company director won't be able to pull rank on a waiter, and a fisherman's wife will be on a par with a millionaire's wife. Ships' officers will receive no preference over ships' cooks. All will be judged by exactly the same measure: did we use our talents well and for His glory?

Takashi Nagai - from the book A Song for Nagasaki

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.  

You shall love your neighbour as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these.  (Mark 12:30-31)

Some people come into your life as blessings.  Some come into your life as lessons.  

Be faithful in small things, because it is in these that your strength lies. 

God has not called us to see through each other, but to see each other through.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

Faith is like a radar that sees through the fog.

Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles, that we forget to count our blessings.

This heart sees where love is needed, and acts accordingly.