PRAYERS OF ST.

THERESE
Would you like to meet one of our
most beloved saints? The prayers
of St. Therese of Lisieux below can
help you to get better acquainted
with this wonderful Carmelite Nun!
Her autobiography Story of a Soul,
published posthumously after her
untimely death from tuberculosis at
age 24 in 1897, reflected both her
humility and her profound love of
God. This book so touched hearts
everywhere that she was canonized as a saint in 1925 and
made a Doctor of the Church in 1997!
The prayers of St. Therese (who is also known
affectionately as the Little Flower) have helped inspire the
faithful everywhere to follow her little way of spirituality.
St. Therese noted that it wasnt necessary to do great or
heroic deeds to attain holiness, admirable though these
might be, but rather to do the little things in life with love for
God and others.
It isnt necessary to be a big shot to follow her little way.
Doing household chores can be just as pleasing to God as
winning a Nobel Prize (perhaps even more so!) if you do
them as best you can for Him and His glory!
St. Therese took as her religious name St. Therese of the
Child Jesus and the Holy Face. This reflected her devotion
to approaching Jesus with the simple trust of a child, as
well as her inspiration by the image of His Holy Face to do
His work hidden and forgotten, as she put it. She wished
to emulate our Lord in His profound humility and love for us
in His passion!
The first of these prayers of St. Therese concerns the Child
Jesus:
O Jesus, dear Holy Child, my only treasure, I abandon
myself to Thy every whim. I seek no other joy than that
of calling forth Thy sweet Smile. Vouchsafe to me the
graces and the virtues of Thy Holy Childhood, so that
on the day of my birth into Heaven the Angels and
Saints may recognize in Thy Spouse: Teresa of the
Child Jesus.
(On a side note, dont be confused by her name for herself
at the end of this last prayer. She is called St. Therese of
the Child Jesus, St. Therese of the Child Jesus and of the
Holy Face, or even St. Therese the Little Flower of Jesus
in different prayer books and websites. Sometimes her

name is spelled Teresa, as above, but usually with one of

these descriptions added to distinguish her from St. Teresa
of Avila.)
The second is an eloquent Morning offering.
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 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.
And, last, but not least, of our prayers here is this beautiful
tribute to our Lord's Holy Face in His Passion!
O Jesus, who in Thy bitter Passion didst become "the
most abject of men, a man of sorrows," I venerate Thy
Sacred Face whereon there once did shine the beauty
and sweetness of the Godhead; but now it has become
for me as if it were the face of a leper! Nevertheless,
under those disfigured features, I recognize Thy
infinite Love and I am consumed with the desire to love
Thee and make Thee loved by all men.
The tears which well up abundantly in Thy sacred eyes
appear to me as so many precious pearls that I love to
gather up, in order to purchase the souls of poor
sinners by means of their infinite value. O Jesus,
whose adorable face ravishes my heart, I implore Thee
to fix deep within me Thy divine image and to set me
on fire with Thy Love, that I may be found worthy to
come to the contemplation of Thy glorious Face in
Heaven. Amen.
We can see in these prayers of St. Therese and these
others her wonderfully all encompassing love for God. She
wanted our Lord to be able to show others His love and
mercy as much as possible through her!
To St. Therese being little in humility meant that, as John
the Baptist once said about Jesus, He must increase, but I
must decrease (John 3:30). May we be similarly inspired
by her prayers and her example to be able to say, like the
Blessed Mother, that "My soul magnifies the Lord" (Luke
1:46).

PRAYERS FOR GOD'S

BLESSING UPON THE DAY

These morning prayers for God's Blessing ask for His help
for our spiritual protection and well-being. Notice how the
first one, addressed to Our Lord Jesus Christ, encourages
us to pray for both our friends and our enemies, as well as
for ourselves, with help from the Blessed Virgin Mary and
the Saints.
O Lord, into Your hands and into the hands of Your
holy angels, this day I entrust my soul, my relatives,
my benefactors, my friends and enemies, and all Your
Catholic people. O Lord, by the merits and prayers of
the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all Your saints, keep us
today from all evil and unruly desires, from all sins and
temptations of the devil, from a sudden and
unprovided death, and from the pains of hell. Enlighten
my heart with the grace of Your Holy Spirit. Grant that I
may ever be obedient to Your commandments. Let me
never be separated from You, O God, who live and
reign with God the Father and the same Holy Spirit
forever. Amen. (Prayer by St. Edmund)
These two prayers for God's Blessing focus on
discernment:
Lord God Almighty, You have brought us safely to the
beginning of this day. Defend us in it by Your mighty
power, that this day we may not fall into sin, but that all
our words may be spoken and all our thoughts and
actions directed in such a manner as always to be
pleasing in Your sight. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord, we beg of you, go before us with Your gracious
inspiration in all our doings, and help us with your
continual assistance, that our every prayer and work
may begin from You and be duly ended by You.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

When God gives us His grace from these prayers, we can

better experience His peace. That is truly its own blessing!

MORNING PRAYERS

Morning prayers can refresh and recharge your soul as you

get ready to take on the day with help from the best place
possible: Our Creator!
Father F.X. Lasance wrote in the introduction to his
work My Prayer Book that Morning Prayer floods the heart
with the breath of life and bathes it in the sunshine of Gods
smile. By giving God your day in prayer first thing in the
morning, you get the clear air of heaven, as he put it,
flowing into your heart.
Thats especially helpful on days that seem
anythingbut heavenly. Also, on good days morning prayers
can be like honey descending into the soul, in the words
of St. Jean-Marie Vianney, in making them all that much
sweeter.
We should treat morning prayers, like prayer itself, as a
time to get closer to God by expressing our love for Him,
thanking Him for His blessings, and offering Him everything
good and bad in our day in doing His will.
Its always good upon rising to make the Sign of the Cross
(In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.) followed by a Morning Offering, like
this one below:
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer
You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union
with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the
world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all
my relatives and friends, and in particular for the
intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
Note that this offering includes prayers for others along
with ourselves, an essential part of a good prayer life, with
help from the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this prayer we unite
all the days activities and prayers with the sacrifice of our
Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary and in the Mass.

There are many other good morning prayers including

other Morning Offerings, an offering from St.
Therese, prayers for God's blessing,
prayers for grace and guidance, a prayer of resolution, and
a moving
morning prayer to God. If all this seems a bit
overwhelming, as our Lord said, Let not your heart be
troubled (John 14:1)! You can always pray anOur
Father, Hail Mary, and a Glory Be in morning prayers on
hectic days, or perhaps say one of many great daily
prayers (such as the acts of Faith, Hope, and Love) on
your way to work or before doing chores. Many of these
prayers are short and easy to memorize.
Remember also when youre hurried that quality trumps
quantity in prayer! St. Edmund once said that it is better to
say one Pater Noster [Our Father] fervently and devoutly
than a thousand with no devotion and full of distraction.
St. Bonaventure once remarked when we pray, the voice
of the heart must be heard more than that proceeding from
the mouth. Also, it never hurts to offer God your own
thoughts in spontaneous prayers, even if theyre brief.
If youre feeling more adventurous, St. Patrick's
Breastplate can act like a round of calisthenics in
energizing your soul! The Rosary is excellent, particularly
when you need some relief from your worries while stuck in
traffic. (If you feel you dont have enough time or cant
concentrate, try praying one decade at a time throughout
the day, starting in the morning.) It also makes for good
mediation.
Along that line, its a good idea to look at the days Gospel
reading and meditate on it whenever possible, preferably in
the morning, with your own thoughts and ideas or ones
such as those given here, perhaps.
The important thing is to check in with our Lord as soon
as you can in morning prayers for daily guidance and
support. And, no matter how busy you might be,
Hes never too busy to hear for you.
In fact, He wants to hear from you, as much as possible!
Hes ready to help you through the rough spots in your day,
as in your life, if you ask Him.
Christ told His apostles regarding prayer Ask, and it shall
be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall
be opened to you (Matthew 7:7). But, as St. Louis de
Montfort once said: Only he will receive, will find, and will
enter who persists in asking, seeking, and knocking.
So if it seems God isnt listening or answering your prayers
as you desire, dont stop praying! Make morning prayers as

much a part of your routine as getting dressed or eating

breakfast. St. Augustine once said as our body cannot be
kept alive without nourishment, so our soul cannot be kept
spiritually alive without prayer.
The important thing is to trust in God to answer your
prayers as He sees fit to help you in doing His will. Give
God everything in your day so that He can fill your heart
and soul with His love and grace. Hopefully then you can
help Him do the same for others!

A PRAYER BEFORE THE BLESSED

SACRAMENT: BY ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

My Jesus, I love You with my whole heart. I am very

sorry for having so many times offended Your infinite
goodness. With the help of Your grace, I purpose never
to offend You again. And now, unworthy though I am, I
consecrate myself to You without reserve. I renounce
and give entirely to You my will, my affection, my
desires and all that I possess. For the future, dispose
of me and all I have as You please.
All I ask of You is Your holy love, final perseverance
and that I may carry out Your will perfectly. I
recommend to You the souls in Purgatory, especially
those who had the greatest devotion to the Blessed
Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I also
recommend to You all poor sinners.
Finally, my dear Saviour, I unite all my desires with the
desires of Your most loving Heart; and I offer them,
thus united, to the Eternal Father, and beseech Him, in
Your name and for love of You, to accept and grant
them.
St. Alphonsus Liguori was known as a tireless champion of
our faith, both as a preacher and a prolific author of over
100 theological works that have since been translated into
over 60 languages! His poignant prayers for the Stations of
the Cross are still used in services, especially during Lent.

This prayer before the Blessed Sacrament by St.

Alphonsus Liguori (pictured above), the celebrated 18th
century theologian and founder of the Redemptorists order,
is a moving and fitting way to begin a visit of adoration and
meditation with our Lord there.
My LORD Jesus Christ, Who because of Your love for
men remain night and day in the Blessed Sacrament,
full of pity and of love, awaiting, calling and welcoming
all who come to visit You, I believe that You are
present here on the altar. I adore You, and I thank You
for all the graces You have bestowed on me, especially
for having given me Yourself in this Sacrament, for
having given me Your most holy Mother Mary to plead
for me, and for having called me to visit You in this
church.
I now salute Your most loving Heart, and that for three
ends: first, in thanksgiving for this great gift; secondly,
to make amends to You for all the outrages committed
against You in this Sacrament by Your enemies;
thirdly, I intend by this visit to adore You in all the
places on earth in which You are present in the
Blessed Sacrament and in which You are least
honored and most abandoned.

This prayer, which truly reflects this great saints devotion

to our Lord, comes from his first book, published in 1745,
entitled Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. It is still in print
today, along with his other classics like The Glories of
Mary, a stirring and highly informative series of essays and
meditations devoted to our Blessed Mother.
In St. Alphonsus Liguori's prayer before the Blessed
Sacrament we are making reparation not only for the sins
of others, but for our own as well. St. Alphonsus also
inspires us here to strive to carry out Gods will perfectly.
(As we say in the Lord's Prayer,Thy will be done!) He
once wrote that he who unites his will to Gods
experiences a full and lasting joy. This ties in nicely with
the popular saying let go and let God.
Do you have days when you feel like youre carrying the
whole world on your shoulders? Let Jesus help you! When
you visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament, pray for His
guidance as you turn your problems over to Him.
Our Lord can give you the grace to cope with stress as He
helps you carry your cross on the road to Eternal Life! May
this prayer help you draw closer to Christ in a spirit of true
contrition, humility, and joy from His presence and His
peace.

MORNING PRAYERS
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer
You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day
for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union
with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the
world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all
my relatives and friends, and in particular for the
intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
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.

Prayer Before Sleep

Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Jesus Christ my God, I adore you and thank you for all
the graces you have given me this day. I offer you my
sleep and all the moments of this night, and I ask you
to keep me from sin. I put myself within your sacred
side and under the mantle of our Lady. Let your holy
angels stand about me and keep me in peace. And let
your blessing be upon me. Amen.

A Prayer for Control of Anger

O Lord, must I fear Your wrath? Retribution is Yours by
right! May I never dishonour Your Divinity, My soul
seeking to maintain Your love. Shape my being into
earnest kindness, A reflection of Your perfection.
Grant me the grace of self-control, That I may not
display any anger. Should I have such an outburst,
Instantly remind me to seek redress, For such is
offensive to You. Anger is Yours alone to avenge!