MORNING PRAYERS FOR FAMILIES. SUNDAY. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. To HALLOW THE SUNDAY. Be thou pleased, O Lord, in thy mercy to teach us how to spend this day. Lift up our hearts with the spirit of devotion. Of ourselves we are not able to form so much as one good thought. We neither know how to pray, nor what we ought most to pray for. Give us, therefore, thy holy spirit, which may both help our weakness and pray within us, for then our prayers will assuredly be acceptable to thee. Teach us to prepare our minds for this holy duty. Speak first thyself to our hearts, that they may be ready and disposed to speak to thee. Open our lips that our mouths may declare thy praise. Thou listenest not to the prayers of the irreverent enable us, therefore, to rank amongst the happy number of those who worship thee in spirit and in truth, and to whose sighs thou lend est a willing ear. "Create clean hearts in us, oh Lord, and renew right spirits within us." Teach us, also, to ask for those things only that are agreeable to thee and useful to our salvation. Grant us the grace of truth and steadiness, that we may not carelessly ask for that best of all blessings-the enjoyment of thy protection; for to be blessed by thee is the great end and aim of all our prayers. It is in thy name, divine Saviour, that we are about to offer up our petitions: grant us the grace to fix our minds on thee at all times; but most of all at this morning's service, when we shall directly converse with thee. Stop the fancies of our wandering hearts, the thoughts of our pre-occupied heads, and quell the power of our spiritual enemies who endeavour at such times to draw our minds from heaven by many vain imaginings. So enable us, with joy and thankfulness, to look on thee as our deliverer from the evils we have escaped, and as the giver of all the good we have received or can hope for. So teach us to see that thou thyself art our only good, and that all other things are but means ordained by thee to make us fix our minds on thee, to make us love thee more and more, and by loving thee to secure eternal happiness. O Jesus, take up all our thoughts here, that, shunning vain and hurtful fancies, our souls may become worthy to behold thee face to face, in thy kingdom for ever. May thy divine assistance remain always with us, and may the souls of the faithful departed through thy mercy rest in peace. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen. MONDAY. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. AN ACT OF RESIGNATION. Almighty God, we again beseech thee, at the beginning of a new week, to take us entirely into thy holy keeping. We offer unto thee all the faculties of our souls and bodies: let the one be ever recollected in thee, and the other ever anxious to fulfil all the duties thou mayest impose upon it. Raise up our souls frequently, we beseech thee, to heaven, that we may never forget the end of all our pursuits in this life. Prevent us from neglecting the obligations of the situations in which thou hast placed us, but make us attend to them in obedience to thy divine will, that in every action we may feel that we are serving thee in the manner most agreeable to thy providence. Oh Lord, we cast all our cares and hopes on thee. Do thou protect thy servants, and prompt all our feelings, whether in distress or in pleasure. Keep us, also, oh Lord, from all over anxiety in affairs of this life by reminding us of the short ness of the time for which we labour; and that none, but thou, can foresee whether the things we are striving for will ultimately lead to our earthly welfare or not. But make us in every thing feel happily resigned to thy holy will, for that thou alone canst and wilt make everything a help to our eternal salvation. Amen. THE "PATER NOSTER." Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen. THE "AVE MARIA." Hail, Mary, full of grace, our Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. THANKSGIVING FOR HEAVENLY AND Most bountiful Saviour Jesus Christ, who didst not only create us, but didst also render us capable of aspiring to thee the greatest good; and who, when we had incurred hopeless exile from heaven, didst redeem us with thy sacred blood, and take upon thee the punishment due to our sins for these, O Lord, and for all thy other mercies, we return thee our most heartfelt and humble thanks; we offer ourselves to be wholly thine, and we beseech thee, of thy infinite goodness, to protect and keep us during this week from all occasions of offending thee. Receive, most kind Saviour, our grateful acknowledgements for all the different helps thou hast vouchsafed to us. Continue thy mercy to us, and give us ever so much of thy worldly blessings as thou knowest to be for our good. Grant that the fruits of the earth may encrease and multiply by thy holy favour; defend them from all storms and tempests, and from whatever else may be hurtful to them. It is from thy hand only that we look for succour, and to thee we have recourse in all our necessities. Enlighten also, O Lord, the powers of our souls with thy divine grace, and give us strength to contend more resolutely and to subdue all wicked inclinations for the future. In all humility and sincerity of heart, we purpose, by thy assistance, never more to transgress thy laws. We desire to love thee, fear thee, and serve thee, and to live always according to thy holy example. And we beseech thy goodness so to govern and direct us during this week that all our actions may tend to the advancement of thy honour and glory, our neighbour's welfare, and the benefit of our own souls. Amen. |