Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.
Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds; a son who will know Thee—and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.
Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, and the weakness of true strength.
Then I, his father will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain. ”
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!
Jesus, my suffereing Lord, grant that today and every day I may see you in the person of Your sick ones, and that in caring for them I may serve you. Grant also that even in the guise of the fretful, the demanding, the unreasonable, I may still recognize You and say: My sufferening Jesus, how sweet it is to serve You.
O God, who hast revealed Thyself to us not only as Truth but as Beauty, restain us from that rude and careless haste which disregards the manifold and incessant beauty of Thy creation, whereby Thou art revealing Thyself to us: grant us the recollectedness whereby we may look on these manifest and unceasing revelations of the loveliness of thy nature and, so looking upon these reflections of Thee, may begin to learn that Thy unveiled splendor must be, Thy formless beauty, of which all beauty of form is but a shadow.
O God, grant us in all our doubts and uncertainties the grace to ask what you would have us to do; that the spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble, through Jesus christ our Lord. Amen.
Take my life and let it be Consecrated , Lord, to thee;Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise.Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love; Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. Take my voice and let me sing, always, only for my King;Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee. Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold;Take my intellect and use every power as thou shalt choose. Take my will and make it thine; It shall be no longer mine;Take my heart, it is thine own; It shall be thy royal throne. Take my love, my Lord I pour at they feet its treasure store;Take myself and I will be ever, only all for thee.
O thou whose name is Emmanuel, our Lord and Sovereign: grace is poured into thy lips, and to thee belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against thee. We, who are no more worthy to be called thy servants, beseech thee to do away our transgressions. We confess that thou mightes cast us away for them, but do it not for thy name’s sake. Our wisdom is gone, our power is gone, nor have we that we may call our own but sin, shame, and confusion of face for sin. Take pity upon us, O Lord, take pity upon us, and save us. Amen.
O God of earth and altar, bow down and hear our cry, our earthly rulers falter, our people drift and die; the walls of gold entomb us, the swords of scorn divide, Take not your thunder from us, but take way our pride! From all that terror teaches, from lies of tougue and pen, from all the easy speeches, that comfort cruel men, from sale and profanation of honor and the sword, from sleep and from damnation, deliver us, good Lord.
Lord, inspire us to read your Scriptures and meditate upon them day and night. We beg you to give us real understanding of what we need, that we in turn may put its precepts into practice. Yet we know that understanding and good intentions are worthless, unless rooted in your graceful love. So we ask that the words of Scriptures may also be not just signs on a page, but channels of grace into our hearts.
God of all nations of the earth, remember the multiudes who, though created in your image, have not known you, nor the dying of your Son their Savior Jesus Christ. Grant that by the prayers and work of your holy church they may be delivered from ignorance and unbelief and brought to worship you; through him whom you have sent to be the resurrection and the life of all people, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, ccourage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it, trusting that You will make all things right, if I surrender to Your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen.
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.