Lord, look upon me with the eyes of your mercy. May your healing hand rest upon me, may your life-giving powers flow into every cell of my body and into the depths of my soul, cleansing, purifying, restoring me to wholeness and strength for service in your kingdom. O God, grant to me a deep awareness of your surrounding presence so that I may permit you to give me health and strength and peace, through Christ our Lord.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who came to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I come to you, O Virgin or virgins, my mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, do not reject my prayer but in your mercy hear and answer me.
St. Jude, you remained faithful to our Lord, even unto death. You gave your life so that others might live. You endured physical pain and emotional abandonment. But you gladly joned your sufferings to those of our Savior, and thus shared in the redemption of the world. I ask you now to intercede with our brother, Jesus Christ, on my behalf, sot hat I too can find strength in the face of my suffering. Help me to trust in God and put my life in God's hands.
O God, you give us strength in weakness and hope in despair; we are yours in life and death. Sustain me for the journey of walking home to you. Give me the graces you gave those who walked with your Son as he approached his passion and death. Steady my hands, gentle my heart, and sustain my spirits. May I see your face in the people who love me and the people who care for me. May I experience your compassionate presence in them. I ask you, Lord, to look with favor on your humble servant; keep me near to you and assure me of your love, your faithfulness and your promise of life eternal. Give me the grace to travel this journey in your peace, with patience, love and trust. Amen.
O God, you give us strength in weakness and hope in despair; we are yours in life and death. Sustain us for the journey of walking our loved one home to you. Give us the graces you gave those who walked with your Son as he approached his passion and death. Steady our hands, gentle our hearts, and sustain our spirits. May we see your face in the people who love and care for our loved one. May we experience your compassionate presence in them. We ask you, Lord, to look with favor on your humble servants; keep us near to you and assure us of your love, your faithfulness and your promise of life eternal. Give us the grace to travel this journey in your peace, with patience, love and trust. Amen.
Lord Jesus, you are the Word made flesh. We rejoice that you dwell amongst us,that you have shared our joys and sorrows, our frailty and pain. We bring to you all those who struggle with the confusion of dementia. We pray that you might touch their inmost hearts with the peace of your presence. For ourselves we beseech the gift of your Holy Spirit, that we, who know and love them, may serve them with your compassion, your understanding and your peace. May that same Holy Spirit raise us up into the presence of your Father.This we ask through the same Christ our Lord.
(Rt Rev David McGough, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, England)
God, I thought I would feel different by now,
but new pressures just keep mounting.
I have been struggling for too long
to meet each new challenge,
to scrape up resources,
to find small comforts,
to change strategies,
to dig deep into our reserves,
to stay positive,
but I need relief
and fresh hope
and a minute to just say,
I really wish things were easier.
“We do not know what to do,
but our eyes are on you.”
—2 Chronicles 20:12, New International Version
Just when we thought we could almost be done with this,
another shoe drops. There are no finish lines.
We long for the simple joys of times past,
those everyday pleasures we can barely remember, but still hunger for.
A great night’s sleep.
Less financial stress.
The ease of making future plans.
The wish that our faith would give us an exemption
from all that is too painful.
Blessed are we who look to you, God,
in the midst of troubles that are too great for us,
that have gone on far too long.
Who dare to say,
now would be a good time for help to come,
for this to be over, once and for all.
God, send us help.
Bring solutions for the desperate,
protection for the vulnerable,
comfort for the suffering,
strength to the caregivers,
wisdom to those in charge.
Infuse us with the courage to suffer with hope.
That our suffering doesn’t go unnoticed by you.
Sustain us and orient us to the reality in which we now live.
Help us pace ourselves. Keep us awake
to what might be done, right now.
“I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
—Isaiah 41:10, New International Version
(Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie)
Related Links
> Spiritual Act of Communion
> Spiritual Act of Reconciliation
> Litany of Compassion for the Sick
> Prayer of Lament
> More Prayers for Healing
[Last Update: 02.27.23]