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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Lent Day 39: "Smoke and a Prayer"



The fires just west of us have been extremely bad. Smoke has filled our air, our homes, and our lungs. Several families are without homes today due to the fires. I pray for them. May God comfort them and keep them safe. Spring should be about growth and life, yet I see a lot of destruction. Tornados that have killed several and left others homeless these past few days. I pray for them. I was searching for a prayer to say for these families and I found one that is beautiful. So today pray with me the universal prayer of Pope Clement XI(pope from 1700-1721):
Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.
I trust in you: strengthen my trust.
I love you: let me love you more and more.
I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.

I worship you as my first beginning,
I long for you as my last end,
I praise you as my constant helper,
And call on you as my loving protector.

Guide me by your wisdom,
Correct me with your justice,
Comfort me with your mercy,
Protect me with your power.

I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you;
My words: to have you for their theme;
My actions: to reflect my love for you;
My sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory.

I want to do what you ask of me:
In the way you ask,
For as long as you ask,
Because you ask it.

Lord, enlighten my understanding,
Strengthen my will,
Purify my heart,
and make me holy.

Help me to repent of my past sins
And to resist temptation in the future.
Help me to rise above my human weaknesses
And to grow stronger as a Christian.

Let me love you, my Lord and my God,
And see myself as I really am:
A pilgrim in this world,
Christian called to respect and love
All whose lives I touch,
Those under my authority,
My friends and my enemies.

Help me to conquer anger with gentleness,
Greed by generosity,
Apathy by fervor.
Help me to forget myself
And reach out toward others.

Make me prudent in planning,
Courageous in taking risks.
Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.

Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer,
Temperate in food and drink,
Diligent in my work,
Firm in my good intentions.

Let my conscience be clear,
My conduct without fault,
My speech blameless,
My life well-ordered.
Put me on guard against my human weaknesses.
Let me cherish your love for me,
Keep your law,
And come at last to your salvation.

Teach me to realize that this world is passing,
That my true future is the happiness of heaven,
That life on earth is short,
And the life to come eternal.

Help me to prepare for death
With a proper fear of judgment,
But a greater trust in your goodness.
Lead me safely through death
To the endless joy of heaven.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

1 comment:

  1. I was having a really rough day studying today. It's been very up and down the past few weeks with everything going on. I love reading your blog! It really has been a place for me to go and reflect on things the past few weeks. I get really caught up in school and forget about many of the more important things going on in life. Your courage and devotion is inspiring. Thank you for sharing with us. Love you so much, clay

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