Living Catholicism: Praying With The Saints

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May 09, 2006

Praying With The Saints

One of the great comforts of being Catholic is the heritage we share with the saints. The many writings, biographies, and images of the saints remain a constant reminder that Catholicism can be lived. Growing up I had a deep devotion to St. Francis of Assisi and St. Joseph. I still do, but over time I have gained a great appreciation for other saints.

One important aspect of my devotion to the saints has been my prayer life. I commune with them, i.e. I pray to them. It is important, as Catholics to understand what this means. Praying to the saints is distinctly different from praying to the Blessed Trinity. We do not worship or adore the saints. We petition them for their intercession, meaning we ask them to pray for us. Yet another way that we pray with the saints is by joining in the prayers that they prayed. Many of the saints wrote their own prayers to God. Some of these prayers are amazingly beautiful and profound. The following are few of my favorites that I have incorporated into my own personal prayer life. Enjoy!

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Lead Kindly Light, Venerable John Henry Newman

Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
the distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou
shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
pride ruled my will: remember not past years!

So long thy power hath blessed me; sure it still
will lead me on.
Over moor and fen, over crag and torrent, till
the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

The Prayer of St. Bonaventure (Prayer after Mass)

Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus,
my inmost soul with the most joyous
and healthful wound of Your love,
and with true, serene and most holy apostolic charity,
and that my soul may ever languish and melt
with love and longing for You,
that it may yearn for You and faint for Your courts,
and long to be dissolved and to be with You.
Grant that my soul may hunger after You,
the Bread of Angels, the refreshment of holy souls,
our daily and supersubstantial bread,
having all sweetness and savor
and every delightful taste;
let my heart ever hunger after and feed upon You,
upon whom the angels desire to look,
and may my inmost soul be filled
with the sweetness of Your savor;
may it ever thirst after You, the fountain of life,
the fountain of wisdom and knowledge,
the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure,
the richness of the house of God;
may it ever compass You, seek You, find You,
run to You, attain You,
meditate upon You, speak of You,
and do all things to the praise
and glory of Your name,
with humility and discretion,
with love and delight, with ease and affection,
and with perseverance to the end;
may You alone be ever my hope,
my entire assurance,
my riches, my delight, my pleasure,
my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace,
my sweetness, my fragrance, my sweet savor,
my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help,
my wisdom, my portion,
my possession and my treasure,
in Whom may my mind and my heart be ever fixed
and firm and rooted immovably henceforth
and for ever. Amen.

A Morning Prayer of St. Therese of Lisieux

O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.
O my God! I ask of Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all Eternity.
Amen.