Christian
If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.
(Meister Eckhart)
Ask for nothing except what may promote God’s honor and glory, his own profit and the advantage of his neighbors. When we ask for temporal things we should always add, if it be God’s will and if it be for my soul’s health. But when we pray for virtues, we need add no qualification, for these (Meister Ekhart)
Lord show me Thy will and grant me the strength to fulfill it
(Meiser Ekhart)
PRAYER OF PEACE
BY SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS
O blessed Jesus,
give me stillness of soul in You.
Let Your mighty calmness reign in me.
Rule me, O King of Gentleness, King of Peace.
A PRAYER BY SAINT BENEDICT
FOR SEEKERS OF FAITH
Gracious and Holy Father,
give us the wisdom to discover You,
the intelligence to understand You,
the diligence to seek after You,
the patience to wait for You,
eyes to behold You,
a heart to meditate upon You,
and a life to proclaim You,
through the power of the Spirit of Jesus, our Lord.
PRAYER after
SAINT THERESA OF AVILA
Let nothing disturb you,
Nothing frighten you.
All things are passing.
God never changes.
Patient endurance attains all things.
Whoever possesses God lacks nothing,
God alone is sufficient.
Lord, grant that I may always allow myself
to be guided by You,
always follow Your plans,
and perfectly accomplish Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all things,
great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do whatever You require of me.
Help me respond to the slightest prompting of Your Grace,
so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument for Your honour.
May Your Will be done in time
and in eternity by me, in me, and through me.
Amen.
PRAYER OF ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA
Dedication To Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ,
take all my freedom,
my memory,
my understanding,
and my will.
All that I have and cherish You have given me.
I surrender it all to be guided by Your Will.
Your grace and Your love
and wealth are enough for me.
Give me these, Lord Jesus,
and I ask for nothing more.
Amen.
MARIAN PRAYER OF
MOTHER TERESA OF CALCUTTA
(A.D. 1910-1997)
Heavenly Father,
you have given us the model of life
in the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Help us, O Loving Father,
to make our family another Nazareth
where love, peace and joy reign.
May it be deeply contemplative,
intensely Eucharistic,
revived with joy.
Help us to stay together in joy
and sorrow in family prayer.
Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our families,
especially in their distressing disguise.
May the Eucharistic heart of Jesus
make our hearts humble like his
and help us to carry out our family duties
in a holy way.
May we love one another
as God loves each one of us,
more and more each day,
and forgive each other's faults
as you forgive our sins.
Help us, O Loving Father,
to take whatever you give
and give whatever you take with a big smile.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
cause of our joy, pray for us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
Holy Guardian Angels,
be always with us,
guide and protect us.
Amen.
Mother Teresa
Give us a heart as beautiful, pure,
and spotless as yours.
A heart like yours,
so full of love and humility.
May we be able to receive Jesus
as the Bread of Life,
to love Him as you loved Him,
to serve Him under the mistreated face of the poor.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
PRAYER OF SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
For the Indwelling Of The Spirit
Holy Spirit,
powerful Consoler,
Sacred Bond of the Father and the Son,
Hope of the afflicted,
descend into my heart
and establish in it Your loving dominion.
Enkindle in my tepid soul the fire of Your Love
so that I may be wholly subject to You.
We believe that when You dwell in us,
You also prepare a dwelling for the Father and the Son.
Deign, therefore, to come to me,
Consoler of abandoned souls,
and Protector of the needy.
Help the afflicted,
strengthen the weak,
and support the wavering.
Come and purify me.
Let no evil desire take possession of me.
You love the humble and resist the proud.
Come to me,
glory of the living,
and hope of the dying.
Lead me by Your grace that I may always be pleasing to you.
Amen.
ignatius’ suscipe
st. ignatius loyola – 16th century
Receive, O Lord, all my liberty.
Take my memory, my understanding, and my entire will.
Whatsoever I have or hold, You have given me;
I give it all back to You and surrender it
wholly to be governed by your will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
with these I will be rich enough,
and ask for nothing more.
ignatius’ suscipe – st. ignatius loyola – 16th century
Catholic
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.( Doxology)
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, to rule and guide.
Amen. (Guardian Angel Prayer )
Jesus, I believe in you.
Jesus, I hope in you.
Jesus, I love you.
(An Act of Faith, Hope, and Love )
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
(SIGN OF THE CROSS)
PRAYER FOR GRACE
O MY GOD and MY ALL, in Thy goodness and mercy, grant that
before I die I may regain all the graces which I have lost
through my carelessness and folly.
Permit me to attain the degree of merit and perfection to which
Thou didst desire to lead me, and which I failed by
my unfaithfulness to reach.
Mercifully grant also that others regain the graces which
they have lost through my fault. This I humbly beg through the merits
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Virgin Mary. Amen.
Prayer for Christlikeness
Dear Jesus, help me to spread your fragrance everywhere I go;
Flood my soul with your spirit and life;
Penetrate and possess my whole being so completely
That all my life may be only a radiance of yours;
Shine through me and be so in me
That everyone with whom I come into contact
May feel your presence within me.
Let them look up and see no longer me—but only Jesus.
Amen. (, John Henry Cardinal Newman)
Protestant / John Wesley
I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty;
let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and heartily yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you
are mine, and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth, let it be ratified in
heaven. Amen.
PRAYER OF
ST. PATRICK
God’s Protection And Christ’s Presence
As I arise today,
may the strength of God pilot me,
the power of God uphold me,
the wisdom of God guide me.
May the eye of God look before me,
the ear of God hear me,
the Word of God speak for me.
May the hand of God protect me,
the way of God lie before me,
the shield of God defend me,
the host of God save me.
May Christ shield me today.
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit,
Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Amen.
The fruit of silence is prayer
the fruit of prayer is faith
the fruit of faith is love
the fruit of love is service
the fruit of service is peace.
~ Mother Theresa
Buddhist
Universal Love Prayer
from the Metta Sutta
May all beings be filled with joy and peace.
May all beings everywhere,
The strong and the weak,
The great and the small,
The mean and the powerful,
The short and the long,
the subtle and the gross:
May all beings everywhere,
Seen and unseen,
Dwelling far off or nearby,
Being or waiting to become:
May all be filled with lasting joy.
Let no one deceive another,
Let no one anywhere despise another,
Let no one out of anger or resentment
Wish suffering on anyone at all.
Just as a mother with her own life
Protects her child, her only child, from harm,
So within yourself let grow
A boundless love for all creatures.
Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.
Namu Amida Buddha.
Metta Karuna Prayer
Oneness of Life and Light,
Entrusting in your Great Compassion,
May you shed the foolishness in myself,
Transforming me into a conduit of Love.
May I be a medicine for the sick and weary,
Nursing their afflictions until they are cured;
May I become food and drink,
During time of famine,
May I protect the helpless and the poor,
May I be a lamp,
For those who need your Light,
May I be a bed for those who need rest,
and guide all seekers to the Other Shore.
May all find happiness through my actions,
and let no one suffer because of me.
Whether they love or hate me,
Whether they hurt or wrong me,
May they all realize true entrusting,
Through Other Power,
and realize Supreme Nirvana.
Namo Amida Buddha
4 Immesurables
May all beings have happiness and its causes,
May they never have suffering nor its causes;
May they constantly dwell in joy transcending sorrow;
May they dwell in equal love for both near and far.
ancient – tibetan buddhist – blessing
May you be filled with loving kindness.
May you be well.
May you be peaceful and at ease.
May you be happy.
I take refuge in the Buddha;
I take refuge in the Dharma;
I take refuge in the Sangha.
Hindu / Yoga
Lead me from the unreal to the Real
Lead me from the darkness to the Light
Lead me From death to immortality!
Peace! Peace! Peace!
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
May my body become pure.
May i be free from impurity and sin.
May i realize myself as the Light divine.
May my mind become pure.
May i be free from impurity and sin.
May i realize myself as the Light divine.
May myself become pure.
May i be free from impurity and sin.
May i realize myself as the Light divine.
May my body become pure.
Salutations to Brahman.
Salutations to the God in the fire.
Salutations to the God in the earth.
Salutations to the God in the plants.
Salutations to the God in speech.
Salutations to the Lord of speech.
I offer my salutations to the
Supreme Being, the all-pervading Spirit.
(taittirya aranyaka)
May the long time sun
Shine upon you,
All love surround you,
And the pure light within you
Guide your way on.
kundalini yoga – farewell blessing
I will be truthful.
I will suffer no injustice.
I will be free from fear.
I will not use force.
I will be of good will to all men.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
That is Absolute, This is Absolute, Absolute arises out of Absolute, If Absolute is taken away from Absolute, Absolute remains OM Peace, Peace, Peace Ishavasya Upanishad
We Salute Lord Brahma and Lord Vayu, the only visible Brahman. We say right, we say truth, may it protect us and may it protect teacher. OM Peace, Peace and Peace” Taittiriya Upanishad
Upanishad says all that the World is Brahman. We don’t reject Brahman, may Brahma not reject me. Let there be no rejection, let there be no rejection at all in us, let us concentrate on ourselves, all those ways of righteous living told in Upanishads be in us! Be in us, OM Peace, Peace and Peace”. Chandogya Upanishad
OM. Let our speech be established in our mind, and our mind be established in our speech. Let Brahman reveal itself to us and may we understand the truths of the Vedas. Let not what we have studied leave us. Let all of us spend both day and night in study. We say right, we say truth and may it protect us. May truth protect teacher. OM Peace, Peace, Peace”. Aitareya Upanishad
Islam / Sufism
O love, O pure deep love, be here, be now.
Be all; worlds dissolve into your stainless endless radiance,
Frail living leaves burn with you brighter than cold stars;
Make me your servant, your breath, your core.
( jelaluddin rumi – 13th century)
invocation by pir vilayat inayat khan
Toward the One,
the Perfection of Love, Harmony, and Beauty,
the Only Being, United with all he Illuminated Souls,
Who form the Embodiment of the Master, the Spirit of Guidance.
Nazar
(for the blessing of food)
0 Thou, Sustainer of our bodies, hearts, and souls,
Bless all that we receive, in Thankfulness.
Amen.
Prayers for the Bereaved
May the blessings of love be upon you
May its peace abide with you
May its essence illuminate your heart
Now and forever more . . . .
– Sufi Blessing
Saum
Praise be to Thee, Most Supreme God,
Omnipotent, Omnipresent, All-Pervading, The Only Being.
Take us in Thy Parental Arms,
Raise us from the denseness of the earth.
Thy Beauty do we worship,
To Thee do we give willing surrender.
Most Merciful and Compassionate God,
The Idealized Lord of the whole humanity,
Thee only do we worship, and towards Thee alone do we aspire.
Open our hearts towards Thy Beauty,
Illuminate our souls with Divine Light.
0 Thou, the Perfection of Love, Harmony and Beauty!
All-Powerful Creator, Sustainer,
Judge and Forgiver of our shortcomings,
Lord God of the East and of the West,
Of the worlds above and below,
and of the seen and unseen beings,
Pour upon us Thy Love and Thy Light,
Give sustenance to our bodies, hearts and souls.
Use us for the purpose that Thy Wisdom chooses,
And guide us on the path of Thine Own Goodness.
Draw us closer to Thee every moment of our life,
Until in us be reflected:
Thy Grace,
Thy Glory,
Thy Wisdom,
Thy Joy, and
Thy Peace.
Amen.
Prayer from Jalal Rumi
Oh Lord,
I seek more of You than to name Your Name…
We are the flute: our music is all Yours.
The light of the soul sets not and has no yesterday.
Love is the astrolabe of your secrets.
If the light that illuminates the world were to draw near,
The world would be consumed.
God you have chosen me to be Your house.
If I take annoyance at every rub
How wilt I become a polished mirror?
O God, show us all things in this house of deception:
Show them as they really are.
Through love the stake becomes a throne
Through love the king becomes a slave.
Our Soul, the breath of our praise, steals away
Little by little from the prison of this world…
Our breaths soar with the choice of words, as a gift from us
To the abode of everlastingness.
Then comes to us the recompense of our praise,
A recompense manifold from God the merciful.
Then You cause us to seek more good words, so that
Your servant may win more of Your mercy.
Verily the source of our delight in prayer
Is the divine Love which without rest
Draws the soul home
Judaism
The Shema Prayer (revised)
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.
And we shall love the Lord your God with all our hearts
and with all our soul and with all our might.
And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.
And we shall teach them diligently to our children, and we shall speak of them
when we sit at home, and when we walk along the way,
and when we lie down and when we rise up
And we shall bind them as a sign on our hands, and they shall be for frontlets between our eyes And we shall write them on the doorposts of our house and on our gates.
Confuzianism / Taoism
Lao-tsu’s Balance Prayer
Lord, let us empty of all doctrines,
The Tao is wisdom eternally inexhaustible.
Fathomless for the mere intellect,
The Tao is the law wherewith all things come into being.
It blunts the edges of the intellect,
Untangles the knots of the mind,
Softens the glare of thinking,
And settles the dust of thought.
Transparent yet invisible,
The Tao exists like deep pellucid water.
Its origin is unknown,
For it existed before Heaven and Earth
Unity Church
The light of God surrounds me;
The love of God enfolds me;
The power of God protects me;
The presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is.
prayer for protection – james dillet freeman – 1941
Prayers for Inner Peace
I open my heart to You, dear God, and let Your peace fill my being. In Your presence, I am peaceful, poised, confident and strong.
I relax in Your loving care, dear God, and release all my cares to You, knowing that You are upholding me and sustaining me in all that I do.
As I keep my heart and mind centered in You, God, I feel Your peace infusing my entire being and keeping me serene and secure.
To You, beloved God, I release all sense of turmoil. In the comfort of Your presence, I am content and peaceful.
God, Your presence calms me, quiets the storms around me, and leads me to a place of perfect peace. As I center myself in Your peaceful presence, I let go of every concern and relax in the safety of Your love. http://www.unity.org/prayer/index.html
Guidance Prayers
I thankfully turn to You, God, for guidance. I listen in the stillness to Your wisdom already in my heart, and I know what to do.
Dear God, Your love fills my heart and your light guides my steps. In all I do I acknowledge You and give thanks for Your wisdom, strength, and peace within.
In the awareness of Your constant presence within me, God, I listen for the direction that guides me and makes
my way sure.
You, dear God, are the light that shines on my path. Your light gives me insight and understanding that help me make wise decisions.
God, You are my source of wisdom. Your spirit guides me, Your love enfolds me, and Your light inspires me. http://www.unity.org/prayer/index.html
