F
FelicityC
Guest
Here is a beautiful, short little prayer I just found. It’s for practicing religious - and I believe they need it, especially monastics, who are all but perishing today.
Dear St. Benedict, you are a “blessing” indeed, as your name indicates.
Practicing what you preached, you founded the monastic tradition of the West by joining prayer to labor for God—both liturgical and private prayer. Help all religious to follow their Rule and be true to their vocation.
May they labor and pray for the world to the greater glory of God. Amen.
Retrieved from: st-benedict-medal.com/prayers-to-saint-benedict.htm
Here’s another couple:
Heavenly Father, in your wisdom you have called certain women and men to a life of special consecration so that in prayerful observance of a lifestyle of poverty, chaste celibacy and obedience, they might be witnesses to us that as St. Paul says, “our true citizenship is in heaven.” Give them, Lord, the grace of joy and perseverance in their holy vocation. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
O Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, hear the prayers we offer for our Sisters and Nuns. Let them know clearly the work that You are calling them to do. Grant them every grace to answer Your call with courage, love, and a lasting dedication to Your will. We ask for our Blessed Mother Mary’s intercession on their behalf for perseverance in obedience in the face of trials. Amen. - See more at: patheos.com/blogs/prayergardens/2013/09/tuesdays-prayer-for-sisters-and-nuns/#sthash.WQrsdvb1.dpuf
And one more:
O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of Thy servants.
Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love which will ever
increase in the course of their life.
In their loneliness, comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them. In their frustrations, point out to them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show them that they are needed by the Church; they are needed by souls; they are needed for the work of
redemption.
O Loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests and religious, take to your heart your
children who are close to you because of the power which they have received to
carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs them so much. Be their comfort, be their joy, be their strength, and especially help them to live and to
defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy.
AMEN
I think we need to pray for those religious we already have, as well as an increase in vocations. Monastics seem to be the ones in the best position to be praying for more. I think St. Therese said they were “the heart of the Church.” Or something to that effect. Of course, we do also need to see the ranks of monks and nuns replenished if we want to see a real restoration of the Church as a whole (as well as society). The problem is primarily supernatural, and the solution needs to be supernatural, not philosophical or sociopolitical. I once heard that St. Bernard tried winning an audience over with sophisticated philosophical arguments, but they remained cold. When he went back later and let “the sweetness of the Holy Spirit” guide him, the same audience was won over. I’m not sure what that last means exactly, but I think it’s about focusing on God and relying on Him to do the work, instead of putting too much weight in temporal things. Trying to reach people through God is usually more effective than trying to reach them directly through our own human devices.
Dear St. Benedict, you are a “blessing” indeed, as your name indicates.
Practicing what you preached, you founded the monastic tradition of the West by joining prayer to labor for God—both liturgical and private prayer. Help all religious to follow their Rule and be true to their vocation.
May they labor and pray for the world to the greater glory of God. Amen.
Retrieved from: st-benedict-medal.com/prayers-to-saint-benedict.htm
Here’s another couple:
Heavenly Father, in your wisdom you have called certain women and men to a life of special consecration so that in prayerful observance of a lifestyle of poverty, chaste celibacy and obedience, they might be witnesses to us that as St. Paul says, “our true citizenship is in heaven.” Give them, Lord, the grace of joy and perseverance in their holy vocation. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.
O Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, hear the prayers we offer for our Sisters and Nuns. Let them know clearly the work that You are calling them to do. Grant them every grace to answer Your call with courage, love, and a lasting dedication to Your will. We ask for our Blessed Mother Mary’s intercession on their behalf for perseverance in obedience in the face of trials. Amen. - See more at: patheos.com/blogs/prayergardens/2013/09/tuesdays-prayer-for-sisters-and-nuns/#sthash.WQrsdvb1.dpuf
And one more:
O Jesus, our great High Priest, hear my humble prayers on behalf of Thy servants.
Give them a deep faith, a bright and firm hope, and a burning love which will ever
increase in the course of their life.
In their loneliness, comfort them. In their sorrows, strengthen them. In their frustrations, point out to them that it is through suffering that the soul is purified, and show them that they are needed by the Church; they are needed by souls; they are needed for the work of
redemption.
O Loving Mother Mary, Mother of Priests and religious, take to your heart your
children who are close to you because of the power which they have received to
carry on the work of Christ in a world which needs them so much. Be their comfort, be their joy, be their strength, and especially help them to live and to
defend the ideals of consecrated celibacy.
AMEN
I think we need to pray for those religious we already have, as well as an increase in vocations. Monastics seem to be the ones in the best position to be praying for more. I think St. Therese said they were “the heart of the Church.” Or something to that effect. Of course, we do also need to see the ranks of monks and nuns replenished if we want to see a real restoration of the Church as a whole (as well as society). The problem is primarily supernatural, and the solution needs to be supernatural, not philosophical or sociopolitical. I once heard that St. Bernard tried winning an audience over with sophisticated philosophical arguments, but they remained cold. When he went back later and let “the sweetness of the Holy Spirit” guide him, the same audience was won over. I’m not sure what that last means exactly, but I think it’s about focusing on God and relying on Him to do the work, instead of putting too much weight in temporal things. Trying to reach people through God is usually more effective than trying to reach them directly through our own human devices.
