Hymn, song and prayer book of Sankt Norberts Kirke
Prayers, hymns and songs in honour of the Virgin Mary
What prayer is
To pray is to speak to God and with God, but also to listen to God and be still before Him. God is greater than our understanding. Therefore there are things we do not grasp at once, and that does not matter. The most important thing is to pray with the heart. Prayer belongs to being a Christian, for Jesus himself taught us to pray, and he prays with us to the Father. When we pray we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, and it is he who prays in us. Before we begin to pray it is important to collect ourselves: to grow still and consider whom we are speaking to and what we should ask. Prayer is something to be learned. That is why we begin by repeating prayers that others have taught us. Prayer is also something to be practised. Good habits matter: morning prayer, grace at meals, evening prayer. In this way we lay the foundation of a healthy life of prayer. As Christians we do not pray only each on our own. People also pray together. We are not Christians in isolation, but with others. Common prayer therefore belongs to Christian life. The Rosary, for example, is a good shared prayer, but the highest form of common prayer is the Mass.
Common prayers
Prayers that every Catholic should know by heart.
The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Every Christian prayer begins with the Sign of the Cross. We move the right hand first to the forehead, then to the breast, then to the left and right shoulder, while saying the words “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” In this way we confess our faith in the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. By making the Sign of the Cross at the same time we confess that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, who died on the cross for our sins. The Sign of the Cross is therefore itself a small creed, and it should be made calmly and devoutly.
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Glory Be is a praise of the Holy Trinity. We praise God because he is God: almighty, wise and merciful. By praying the Glory Be we also confess the mystery of the Trinity: one God in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Our Father
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 those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
(For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever).
Amen.
The Our Father is the most important Christian prayer, for it is the prayer Jesus himself taught his disciples when they asked him to teach them to pray. Each time we pray it we are reminded that we are God’s children and that Jesus is our brother. In the Our Father we ask for all the things God wants us to ask for. That is why it is the pattern of all Christian prayer.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among 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.
God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. Because her Son is true God, we rightly call her Mother of God. Because she was to be worthy to become the Mother of God, God preserved her from every sin and made her wholly holy. Mary for her part said a complete yes to God’s plan for her. That is why Mary is the most perfect Christian and a model for all Christians. She is also the one whose intercession we especially ask, using the angel’s words at the Annunciation (Luke 1:28) and Elizabeth’s greeting at the Visitation (Luke 1:42).
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed contains the most important truths of the faith, and every Christian should know it by heart. It is called “apostolic” because it summarises the faith of the apostles.
Daily prayers
Morning prayer
I adore you, my God, and I love you with all my heart. I thank you because you have created me, made me a Christian and kept me through the night. I offer you the works of this day: let them all be according to your holy will and to your greater glory. Protect me from sin and from all evil. Let your grace always be with me and with everyone. Amen.
God is our creator and saviour. He has given us life and more besides. Through his Son Jesus Christ he has given all people the possibility of becoming children of God. Therefore it is right to begin each day by thanking God for these great gifts. We can do more than merely say thank you. Because we are God’s children, we can answer God’s love with our love and offer him everything we do throughout the day. To offer the day’s works to God means to do them for God’s sake. It means to seek God’s will and not our own. It means to give God the glory and not to praise ourselves.
Or:
My God and Father! I thank you that you have protected me through the night and given me this new day. You have created me. You have saved me through your Son Jesus Christ and called me to your eternal kingdom. Therefore I will belong to you, today and always. May your holy will be done in me. Enlighten me, that I may know what I should do for you today. Keep me from all evil. Lead me through your Son Jesus Christ. Fill me with the love of the Holy Spirit. All for your glory, all out of love for you. – Mary, my mother and queen, pray for me. – Holy guardian angel, protect me! Amen.
Grace at meals
To thank God for the food we eat is the simplest and most natural way of giving thanks for life.
(Before the meal) Lord, bless us and these gifts which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(After the meal) We give you thanks, almighty God, for all your benefits. You who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
Or:
(Before the meal) Lord of joy, be our guest at our table today; make our meal a feast according to your will. Amen.
(After the meal) For the gifts you give we thank you now, O God, who hear us before we pray; praised be you. Amen.
Evening prayer
I adore you, my God, and I love you with all my heart. I thank you because you have created me, made me a Christian and kept me this day. Forgive me the evil I have done, and if I have done any good, receive it. Watch over me while I sleep, and protect me from danger. Let your grace always be with me and with everyone. Amen.
In the evening we take stock of how we have behaved through the day. This is called examination of conscience, because before God we consider our actions and let our conscience judge us. This examination can be more or less detailed, but the most important thing is to be grateful for all the good we have received, and to repent of the sins we have committed. Then we can be reconciled with God before we go to sleep and receive the morning as a new beginning.
Or:
I thank you, my God, that you have cared for me today as a father. I thank you for all the good that, with your help, I was allowed to do. – But I must confess that I have thought too little of you and have not always fulfilled your holy will. I am truly sorry. Merciful Father, forgive me for the sake of your Son, who died for me. I trust in your grace and resolve to avoid sin and in all things to do your will. And now I commit myself, body and soul, into your merciful hands. I also commit to you my parents and brothers and sisters, my relatives and acquaintances. In your goodness repay all who have done good to me. Enlighten those who have gone astray, comfort the lonely, strengthen those who are tempted, help the sick and the dying, and lead sinners to true repentance. Heavenly Father, let all people find their way home to you through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. – Mary, my mother and queen, pray for me. – Holy guardian angel, protect me. Amen.
Prayers to Mary
The Angelus
The Angelus is a prayer in which, together with Mary, we remember the most important truths of our faith: that the Word of God (Jesus Christ) became flesh (a human being) and died and rose for our sake. We ask Mary’s intercession, that after death we may obtain the blessedness (the joy) of God in heaven. Jesus has promised us this joy, and therefore we ask Mary’s help to become worthy of Christ’s promises. The prayer is called Angelus (angel) because that is its opening word in Latin. The Angelus is prayed when the church bells ring morning, noon and evening. One may pray the Angelus alone, but it is also a beautiful prayer in common. (L = leader, A = all)
L: The angel of the Lord brought Mary the glad tidings.
A: And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary…
L: Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
A: Be it done unto me according to your word.
Hail Mary…
L: And the Word was made flesh.
A: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary…
L: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
A: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
L: Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ your Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
In the evening the following prayer for the dead is added:
Our Father… Hail Mary…
L: Eternal rest grant unto the souls of the faithful departed, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
A: May they rest in peace. Amen.
In Eastertide (from Easter Day to and including Pentecost) the Marian antiphon Regina caeli (Queen of Heaven) is prayed instead of the Angelus:
Regina Caeli
A: Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. For he whom you were worthy to bear, alleluia, has risen, as he said, alleluia. Pray for us to God, alleluia.
L: Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
A: For the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.
L: Let us pray. O God, who by the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, have been pleased to fill the world with joy, grant, we beseech you, that through his Mother, the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen
We fly to thy protection
We fly to thy protection, O holy Mother of God. Despise not our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen.
This is the oldest known prayer to the Virgin Mary. From the Church’s earliest times Christians have had a particular trust in the intercession of the Mother of God. From the beginning God blessed Mary with his grace, because she was to bear Jesus Christ; and by taking her into heavenly glory he has in her brought to fulfilment the salvation he intends for all people.
Other prayers
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
L: Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created,
A: and you will renew the face of the earth.
L: Let us pray. O God, you have taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit. Grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. In the Nicene Creed he is called “the Lord, the giver of life”, for he is the source of the life of grace in every baptised person. But the Holy Spirit is also at work in many other ways: he has inspired the Scriptures (the Bible), he is present in the pastors of the Church (the Pope, the bishops and the priests), he makes the sacraments effective signs, he builds up the Church through his gifts of grace, and when we pray it is he who prays in us.
Prayer for the departed
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.
Through baptism we have become members of Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, but this is not only a community here on earth. The Church breaks through time and space. It also includes the saints and all other departed who are already with God. The souls who still need purification in order to become holy and share in the perfect joy of God also belong to the Church. This whole communion is called “the communion of saints”, and it is joined together through prayer. We ask the saints to intercede for us before God, and both during Mass and at other times we pray to God for the departed in purgatory (the place of purification).
Prayer for the Church
Lord, you have made the Church an instrument of salvation for all people. Strengthen and guide those you have called to be shepherds of your people: the Pope, the bishops and all the priests. Give all the faithful the gift of the Holy Spirit in abundance, so that through their lives they may bear witness to your love and carry the good news to all people. Amen.
Prayer for vocations
Lord, you call every person to love and serve you. I ask you to awaken the spirit of faith and strength in your Church. Call worthy priests to serve you at the altar and to proclaim your message to all people. Let those who in religious life are to be a visible sign of your kingdom be filled with a holy longing for perfection. Strengthen all whom you call to live in marriage, so that their mutual love and faithfulness may bear witness to your love for the Church. Amen.
Prayer for peace
Merciful God, make your grace active in our hearts, that we may see our responsibility for all who live in inhuman poverty and misery. Awaken hunger and thirst for justice in all who call you their Father. Lord, give us peace in our days, peace within, peace in our families, peace in our country, peace among the nations. Amen.
Prayer for parents
Lord, thank you for giving me a mother and a father. They do so much for me, and I ask you to protect them, that they may be near me for a long time. Make me able to bring them joy, and help us always better to understand one another and to love one another by imitating the Holy Family of Nazareth. Amen.
Prayer for those who suffer
Lord, help all who are lonely or ill. Let them know that you are near and love them, and help us too to do something for them. Amen.
Faith, hope and charity
My God, you are Truth itself, and I firmly believe all that you have revealed and that the holy Catholic Church teaches us to believe. Above all I believe in you as the one true God, three persons in one God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Lord, give me a firm faith. My God, in your great goodness you promise eternal life to everyone who believes in you. I trust your promise and hold the firm hope that for the sake of Jesus Christ you will grant me the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Lord, give me an unshakeable hope. My God, I love you above all else, for you are the highest good and our eternal happiness. Out of love for you I will love my neighbour as myself and forgive those who do me harm. Lord, give me a heartfelt love. Amen.
Faith, hope and charity are often called the “theological virtues”, because they spring from God and have God as their goal. They are gifts of the Holy Spirit, and by practising them we become able to live as true children of God.
Prayer of thanksgiving
Lord Jesus, thank you for all you have given me. Help me to be kind, obedient and generous to all. I pray for my parents, my brothers and sisters and friends, but also for the Pope and for all who do good. I want all people to come to know you and to love you. That this may happen, I will live as you desire. Stay always with me, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Prayer to the guardian angel
Angel of God, you who watch over me, and to whose care the divine mercy has entrusted me: enlighten and protect me, strengthen and guide me. Amen.
God’s care for human beings shows itself in many ways. One expression of his love for us is our personal guardian angel, an invisible spiritual being who sees God face to face and helps us on our way to God.
Prayer to the patron saint
Holy …! In baptism I received your name. Pray to God for me for a strong faith, a firm hope and a burning charity. Stand by me, that I, like you, may fight the good fight and one day receive the crown of life with God. Amen.
The saints are people who in a particular way let God’s grace shape their lives. In each of them God shows us a side of himself. They belong to the Church in heaven, where they help us by their intercession. At the same time they are models for the Church on earth, on the way towards the heavenly goal the saints have already reached.
Niels Steensen’s prayer
God, without your leave no hair falls from the head, no leaf from the tree and no bird from the air, nor does any thought escape the mind, any sound the tongue or any movement the hand. Until now you have led me along ways that were unknown to me. Lead me now along the path of grace, seeing or blind! It is easier for you to lead me where you will than for me to draw back from where my longings pull me. Amen.
This prayer teaches us to trust in God’s providence (care), as blessed Niels Steensen did. It is not so important whether we can understand God’s plan for us or not, for we know that he is our loving Father. What matters is that we walk willingly and trustfully along the way God leads us, for it is “the path of grace”, which leads us to him.
Short prayers
Aspirations are short prayers that can be said anywhere and at any time. They are spontaneous “sighs of the heart” to God in joy as well as in sorrow, and those given here are only examples. They help us not to forget God in the busyness of the day.
Come, Lord Jesus! Lord, help me.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord, all for you, and as you will!
Praised be Jesus Christ – for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus, for you I live! Jesus, for you I die! Jesus, I am yours in life and death, in time and in eternity! Amen.
For Jesus’ sake, by Jesus’ blood, blot out my sin, O Father good.
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. (Luke 23:46)
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Holy, great God, you are here – I adore you.
Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.