Prayers when washing the hands or taking a shower

[Jared2914]

I don’t know anything specific to washing hands or taking a shower, but one of the things I have been working on lately is taking advantage of all the opportunities to pray for indulgences throughout the day. In one of the General Grants, the Church says in carrying out our duties and enduring the hardships of life we can raise our minds in humble trust to God and make a pious invocation for a partial indulgence. Duties would include work, chores, and errands, but I also consider maintaining your health to be a duty. You can’t serve anyone if you aren’t healthy, so washing hands and taking a shower are part of your duties and can an opportunity to pray for an indulgence.

So at the beginning of each day, I ask God that during the day whenever I say “Blessed be God, forever” or “Jesus, I trust in you” during a duty, I would like him to apply a partial indulgence to a soul in purgatory if he wills it. Then it is just a matter of remembering to say the pious invocation throughout the day whenever those opportunities arise. I forget a lot, but it’s something I can be work on and get better over time.

Obviously, not all of these partial indulgences are the same “weight”. A large duty like working 8 hours is going to result in a much more grace-filled indulgence than washing hands or taking a shower, but it can still help a soul on their journey to heaven. I am so grateful to God and our Church for indulgences because they make the ordinary moments meaningful. (Of course, there is much more to this, but far beyond the scope of this topic.)

 

[AlbertDerGrosse]

Because a Franciscan Prieston Youtube talkez about him saying such a prayer as a nice practice. I dont rember the prayer but I think it was taken from psalm 50

Parts of Psalm 50 are used in the Asperges ritual sometimes performed before Mass (when the priest sprinkles the congregation with holy water using the aspergillum). The antiphon is from Psalm 50:9 and the rest is from Psalm 50:3. Is this what you had in mind?

Ant. (Ps.50:9) Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.
(Ps.50:3) Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.

The only alternative I can think of is Psalm 25:6-7 (which also forms part of the Lavabo of the priest during the Mass):

(Ps.25:6-7) I will wash my hands among the innocent; and will compass thy altar, O Lord: That I may hear the voice of thy praise: and tell of all thy wondrous works.

 

[phil19034]

Hail Mary when washing you hands.

Put the soap on your hands, start scrubbing, start the Hail Mary, when finished the Hail Mary, you can rinse the soap off!