Let's take a cleansing breath from national politics, world news, and spiritual and physical evil everywhere….
What is your favorite prayer or most cherished devotion?
The prayer that stirs me to the depths of my soul, so sublime that I could meditate on it, blissfully drown in it, for an eternity, is...
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds, hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.
From the evil one, protect me.
At the hour of my death, call me.
And bid me come to Thee,
That with Thy saints I may praise Thee,
Forever and ever. Amen.
ANIMA Christi, sanctifica me.
Corpus Christi, salva me.
Sanguis Christi, inebria me.
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.
Passio Christi, conforta me.
O bone Iesu, exaudi me.
Intra tua vulnera absconde me.
Ne permittas me separari a te.
Ab hoste maligno defende me.
In hora mortis meae voca me.
Et iube me venire ad te,
Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te
in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
+++++++
Almost forgot! Listen to a snippet of Donna Cori Gibson's Anima Christi, here. My favorite of all time. Chills.
Novena to Our Lady of Good Remedy. The Holy Name of Jesus. St. Michael prayer.
ReplyDeleteI love St. Francis' "Make me an instrument of your peace...", St. Michael's "prayer of protection", but, my very favorite will always be The Rosary.
ReplyDeleteI have special beads for a chaplet to the Sacred Heart that begins with the Anima Christi. You say "sweet heart of Jesus be my love" on 5 sets of 6 beads and "sweet heart of Mary be my salvation" at the end of each set. There's then a final prayer. I'm a bit lazy, I like it because it's much quicker than a rosary!
ReplyDeleteI need to google this-beautiful!!!
DeleteI am still a neophyte and often confused by the use of prayers and novenas and what it all means, so I'm looking forward to reading the responses here and what other people pray.
ReplyDeleteDD
Definitely the Litany of Humility, St. Patrick's Lorica, and the Jesus Prayer. :) Divine Mercy Chaplet is a close runner as well as St. Ephraim's Lenten Prayer.
ReplyDeleteLitany of Humility
ReplyDeletePrayer to St. Michael. Reminds me that we're always in a spiritual battle and we have to fight for our Church!
ReplyDeleteI also just like opening "The Imitation of Christ" to a random page, reading whatever I land on, and letting it speak to me.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite prayer that brings me peace and gives me hope in times of trouble is the Memorare!
ReplyDeleteThe Memorare! :)
ReplyDeleteI've always loved the "Universal Prayer" attributed to Pope Clement XI. It was in my missal when I was a kid and it's also in a prayer book I've used for many years. It's really long, but you can read it here: http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=223
ReplyDeleteSo, so many to choose from...
ReplyDeleteLately, I've prayed the Novena of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, with immediate answered prayer.
My go-to's are always the Rosary and the Holy Spirit Chaplet
I am happy to see other people mentioning the Litany of Humility - I discovered that recently and boy is it the prayer I need!
ReplyDeleteI also recently finished the St. Jude Novena - the first novena I've ever prayed and already I am seeing "results" - different than I expected, but definitely an answer to my prayers!
(I developed an attachment to St Jude because besides his more known role for helping with "hopeless cases" he's also the patron saint for those working in government - which is kind of the same thing. ;) My husband is in local government and St Jude has been helping him a LOT recently!)
The prayer you mentioned, The Anima Christi, is the prayer that I say with my kids after Holy Communion. I "discovered" that prayer when I was a kid and it's had such an impact on me especially regarding Holy Communion.
ReplyDeleteI love the Litnay of Humility; my new favorite is the Universal Prayer. Long but thorough! http://www.catholic.org/clife/prayers/prayer.php?p=223
DD, this may be something you've heard before regarding the use of novenas, but the reason for novenas (when said for a particular intention) is that by persevering in nine days of prayer, we're demonstrating to God our desire for our prayer to be answered and heard. Not to be confused as good luck ritual (say this prayer for 9 days and it will be answered!), it's more about sacrifice in persevering and increasing our faith during the 9 days.
I hope this helps a little--I'm a little distracted as my 2 year old keeps coming in the room and saying hi and slamming the door. I think she wants my attention. :-)
Oooooh good question!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite prayer/devotion would be the St. Joseph novena. St. Joe has NEVER let me down. Even if I don't always get the answer I was expecting, I always get very clear direction about my intention. I wrote about one of those times back in March when St. Joe got me my job! - http://spiritualworkoutblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/st-joe-my-beau.html
Unfortunately, I don't pray it as often as I probably should, but then again, maybe it's better that I don't nag St. Joe with a novena every other week so that he will still like me :) Whenever I am really struggling with being single or frustrated with work/men/life, I ask St. Joe to just help me and I usually feel some peace.
Hail holy queen-my favorite
ReplyDeleteThe Anima Christi is my favorite also! I "discovered" it about a year ago when I started getting the Magnificat and I absolutely love it.
ReplyDeleteMy husband (and fellow Carmelite) loves the Anima Christi too. His "go to" prayer is the Memorare. (I get chills when he prays it over my head whenever I'm having trouble in my vocation).
ReplyDeleteI love praying the Canticle of Zechariah. That's what we pray every morning at Morning Prayer. (http://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/english/p01090.htm)
I love the Magnificat too, like Rebecca--which I pray at Evening Prayer, but there is something about starting each day with John the Baptist's Dad that starts the day off right.
Here's a piece that just sets my soul at peace during all this anti-Catholic HHS scandal:
"This was the oath He swore to our father Abraham:
To set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship Him without fear,
Holy and righteous in His sight
All the days of our life."
Free to worship him without fear--from external enemies and all the doubts in my mind. A beautiful promise that is more than 5,000 years old. Praying to Jesus is a beautiful thing!!!!
I just wanted to say, I think "formal" prayer and "mental" prayers are two different ways to talk to God. A Catholic needs to have BOTH!
ReplyDeleteOur Protestant brothers do such a great model of praying to God with that easy conversation of a true friend. St. Teresa of Avila whats us to go even deeper in mental prayer and simply "listen" to God talking quietly in our heart each and every day.
Formal prayer is beautiful because we get to see a "snapshot" of how holy Saints made their personal prayer time to God. It encourages us to grow when we say Formal prayers that are handed down to us. So saying the St. Francis prayer--makes me grow in peacefullness. Saying the "litiney of Humility" makes me grow in this unfamiliar virtue. And saying the formal, unfamiliar Anima Christi helps me grow in the incredibly deep mystery of the Holy Eucharist.
What a great question! I have found my prayer life wanting lately and this is great reminder of all that is out there to help us along.
ReplyDeleteI have two favorites, the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel and one I got off a greeting card, The Prayer of a Servant's Heart:
Lord, guide my thoughts,
my days, my plans,
Direct my work,
my walk, my hands.
Through Your Spirit,
Lord, use my voice,
that lives be changed
and hearts rejoice.
i love this! I am making copies for all of my kids!
DeleteThe Memorare
ReplyDeleteRemember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.
Great answers, and oh my gosh, guys, I have to tell you. If you want any of the most beautiful prayers in song, this is the album:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.donnacorigibson.com/SungScripture.html
Donna Cori Gibson is amazing! You can hear some snippets at the link, and not only does she sing the MOST gorgeous Anima Chirsti in the world, but Abigail, she also sings the Magnificat AND The Canticle of Zechariah (John the Baptist's dad!), and that amazing line you sited. I LOVE IT. She also sings other Scripture as you can see from the list, including a Scriptural explanation of sorts of the Hail Mary! And the Litany of Loreto (the titles of Mary) is to die for!!! I highly, highly recommend this CD.
And mcbaby adventures, lol on the gov't thing!
Truly, listen to the snippet of Anima Christi at the link. Ahhhh!
DeleteThe St. Michael Prayer, the Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Liturgy of the Hours, and all the novenas that I get through praymorenovenas.com (if you haven't heard of PrayMoreNovenas, check it out! My friend, John Paul Deddens started it a few years ago; he's also the founder of IL Students for Life). Oh and of course, the ultimate prayer, which is the Mass :)
ReplyDeleteOh thank you so much for this post, Leila! I am actually hearing about some new prayers here!! My favorite is the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It has untold riches for me. I can drown in this prayer. I also love the Anima Christi and always pray it after receiving the Eucharist.
ReplyDeleteTeresa
Oh, love this post!
ReplyDeleteRight now, for where I'm at in my life, I love the morning offering. The one that starts "Oh Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary...". It's very centering for me and puts my whole day in perspective. But my overall favorite is the Memorare. And our family favorite is the Holy Rosary. And the prayer to St. Michael. So hard to pick just one!
Oh, and our favorite novena is to St. Joseph. For everything!
I have always loved the Rosary. The addition of the Mysteries of Light are great. For my after Mass prayers, I pray the Memorare written by St. Bernard and the St. Michael the Archangel prayer given to the Church by Pope Leo XIII.
ReplyDeleteThe Hail Mary.
ReplyDeleteAnd since my 1st Consecration, the Ave Maris Stella.
I agree that the Anima Christi makes my soul soar and I'm teaching my children to prayer this after every Holy Communion. Salve Regina/Hail Holy Queen is another fave...to say it slowly and allow the words to wash over you is, to me, one of the most beautifully poetic prayers ever written. I especially love to sing the latin version because I can still hear my dad's deep baritone voice singing his heart out to it. Prayer to St. Joseph from the Pieta prayer book and the following prayer to the Holy Spirit are part of my daily morning offering:
ReplyDeleteDirect O Lord all our actions
by Your holy inspirations
and carry them on by Your gracious assistance
so that every prayer and work of ours
may always begin with You
and by You be happily ended
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
I love the Anima Christi and always say that after Communion. I'm also a big fan of the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi; that prayer says everything about the type of person I want to be.
ReplyDeleteMemorare for me! I've always been devoted to Our Lady and this prayer really gives me peace. However, I do say the Anima Christi after Communion and teach my kids to do the same. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteLol. Raised Protestant (Southern Bapticostal) and with a special love for music, and not yet familiar with enough classic Catholic prayers to make a good choice, I'm going to veer off in a different direction here and tell you that my favorite "prayer" is One Day at a Time! ;) Going to have to take the time to look up some of those listed that I haven't heard of yet.
ReplyDeleteSt. Michael prayer is a favorite for me. I also have a very strong devotion to St. Anthony.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah and I'm ridiculously devoted to Venerable Fulton J. Sheen. I try to pray the official prayer for his canonization daily. Here it is if anyone else would like to join me in praying for this holy man of God:
ReplyDeleteHeavenly Father, source of all holiness, You raise up within the Church in every age men and women who serve with heroic love and dedication.
You have blessed Your Church through the life and ministry of Your faithful servant, Archbishop Fulton J Sheen. He has written and spoken well of Your Divine Son, Jesus Christ, and was a true instrument of the Holy Spirit in touching the hearts of countless people.
If it be according to Your Will, for the honor and glory of the Most Holy Trinity and for the salvation of souls, we ask You to move the Church to proclaim him a saint. We ask this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
And here is where you can find out all about Venerable Sheen if you haven't heard of him: http://www.archbishopsheencause.org
He has helped me out so much as I've prayed for his intercession as I strive to finish up my English degree in the same diocese in which he was ordained a priest. I even altar serve at the same Cathedral as he did growing up in central IL. I could go on forever about how amazing Venerable Sheen is and how he so powerfully imitated Christ while he was alive in the 20th century. :)
I also say the Anima Christi after Mass, offered for the Holy Souls. After Communion, I love the little poem, "Little White Guest", especially this part:
ReplyDeleteI love you, I love you, My Jesus
Oh please do not think I am bold
Of course, you must know that I love you
But I'm sure that you like to be told
I have a devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows (today's feast!). God bless whoever left a little leaflet about it in the back of my sister's church years ago. I usually say one Hail Mary for each of her Seven Sorrows, and since beginning that devotion there have been times when a teaching of the Church is made much more clear to me. I do credit Our Lady for granting that grace in response to the Seven Sorrows prayers. For anyone who wants to say the entire chaplet (49 Hail Marys all together), you can get an MP3 download of Immaculee Ilibagiza praying the Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows at Amazon for only 99 cents!
Donna- I love that one, thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI found my current favorite in a handbook of prayers. It is listed as a hymn so I suppose some of you may know it but I hadn't heard it before.
Christ be near at either hand,
Christ behind, before me stand,
Christ with me where'er I go,
Christ around, above, below.
Christ be in my heart and mind
Christ within my soul enshrined,
Christ control my wayward heart,
Christ abide and ne'er depart.
Christ my life and only way,
Christ my lantern night and day,
Christ be my unchanging friend,
Guide and shepherd me to the end.
It is very easy to remember and helps me keep my focus. The "wayward heart" line pops into my head quite often.
There are quite a few I like. My favorites are the Rosary, St Michael prayer, prayer to St Gerard, St Dymphna chaplet, Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Our Father. I too love the the Anima Christi- I pray it after receiving Communion and even on the days I can't receive communion I still pray it.
ReplyDeleteOur Catholic faith is SO RICH with so many beautiful prayers!! Mine is definitely the Rosary, but for me, music lifts my soul to worship like nothing else. One of my favorite singers in Jaci Velazquez and her song, "Jesus Is" just swells up in me! "Jesus Is, the sweet sweet love of my soul". Look the lyrics up!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your posts...love them all. :)
Each morning I pray the Prayer of St. Francis and the Anima Christi, but the prayer that never fails to reach out from my heart is Padre Pio's Prayer After Holy Communion: Stay With Me, Lord.
ReplyDeleteThe Jesus Prayer, incorporated into my rosary along with the Prayer to the Holy Angels, per advice from Sr. John Mary.
ReplyDeleteLord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.