Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Archives

Prayer

For Jesuits
Chapter 10 - Blessed in the Lord

by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
Editor

+ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:3-10

Life Full of Life

Life full of life, everlasting and ever blessed life, in which is joy without sorrow, rest without labor, dignity without fear, riches without loss, health without sickness, abundance without want, life without death, continuity without corruption, blessedness without calamity; where all good things are in perfect charity; where there is beauty and perfect sight; where there is full knowledge in all things and of all things; where God's sovereign goodness is understood and His enlightening light is glorified by the saints; where the present majesty of God is beheld, and the minds of the beholders are satisfied as with the food of life. They always see and they always desire to see; yet do they desire without disquietude, and are filled without weariness.

Would that the Divine Mercy, having released me, the basest of Christ's servants, from the burden of my sins, would command me to lay aside the weight of this flesh, that I might pass into the endless joys of His city, and keep company with the holy choirs above; might stand before the glorious majesty of my Creator with the blessed spirits, and beholding the countenance of God as He is, be touched with no fear of death, but securely rejoice in the strength of everlasting immortality; and being linked to Him that knows all things, cast from me all blindness of ignorance, esteeming as nothing all earthly things, and not vouchsafing to look upon this vale of tears or to remember it any more.

St. Augustine

THE ANGELS

Guardian Angel

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom His love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

Angelic Guides

Pure spirits, chosen by God to be our guardians here on earth, teach us the way of holiness; assist us to lead lives of prayer and sacrifice; and obtain for us the grace to die rather than commit one mortal sin.

Angelic guides, inflame with love of Jesus and Mary the souls entrusted to our spiritual care. Keep them in the path of virtue, and bring them with us to life eternal, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

LET US PRAY O God, who in a wonderful manner dispose the ministries of angels and men, mercifully grant that as Your holy angels ever wait upon You to do You service in heaven, so our lives may be defended by them upon earth. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Michael

Holy Archangel Michael, defend us in battle, that we may not perish in the terrible judgment.

St. Gabriel

Blessed Archangel Gabriel, we beseech you to intercede for us at the throne of divine mercy in our present necessities, that, as you announced to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation, so through your prayers and patronage in heaven we may obtain the benefits of our redemption, and sing forever the praise of God our Savior. Amen.

St. Raphael

Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, illustrious by your gifts of wisdom and grace, guide of travelers by land and sea, consoler of the unfortunate, and refuge of sinners, I entreat you to help me in all my needs and all the trials of this life, as you once helped the young Tobias in his travels. And since you are the "physician of God," I humbly ask you to heal my soul of its many infirmities and my body of the ills that afflict it, if this favor is for my greater good. I pray especially for angelic purity, that I may be made fit to be the living temple of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

THE APOSTLES

St. Peter

You are the shepherd of the flock, the prince of the apostles. To you were given the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

v You are Peter.
R And upon this rock I will build My Church.

LET US PRAY We beseech You, O Lord, to strengthen us by the apostolic assistance of blessed Peter, so that the weaker we are the more mightily we may be helped by the power of his intercession. Being ever defended by the same holy apostle, may we never yield to any iniquity nor be overcome by any adversity. Amen.

Glorious St. Peter, in return for your lively and generous faith, your profound and sincere humility, and your burning love, you were honored by Jesus Christ with singular privileges, especially with leadership of the other apostles and the primacy of the whole Church, of which you were made the foundation stone.

Obtain for us the grace of a living faith that will not fear to profess itself openly, in its entirety and in all its manifestations, even to the shedding of blood, if occasion should demand; and to the sacrifice of life in preference to surrender.

Obtain for us likewise a sincere loyalty to our Holy Mother the Church. Grant that we may ever remain closely and sincerely united to the Roman pontiff, who is the heir of your faith and authority, the one, true, visible head of the Catholic Church, the mystic ark of salvation.

Grant, moreover, that in all humility and meekness we may follow the Church's teaching and counsels, in order to be able here on earth to enjoy a peace that is sure and undisturbed, and attain one day in heaven to everlasting happiness.

v Pray for us, St. Peter the apostle.

R That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY O God, You have given to Your blessed apostle Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and the power to bind and loose. Grant that through his intercession we may be freed from the bonds of all our sins: Who live and reign world without end. Amen.

St. Paul

Glorious St. Paul, from being a persecutor of the Christian name you became its most zealous apostle. To carry the knowledge of Jesus, our divine Savior, to the most distant regions of the earth, you joyfully suffered prison, scourgings, stoning, shipwreck, and all manner of persecution, and finished your course by shedding the last drop of your blood. Obtain for us the grace to accept, as favors bestowed by the mercy of God, the infirmities, sufferings, and misfortunes of this life. May we not grow slack in our service of God under these trials in our exile, but rather show ourselves ever more faithful and fervent because of them. Amen.

v Pray for us, St. Paul the apostle.
R That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY O God, You have taught the multitude of the gentiles by the preaching of blessed Paul the apostle. We ask You to grant us, who keep his memory sacred, to feel the power of his intercession before You. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. John the Evangelist

Glorious apostle, St. John, because of your virginal purity you were so beloved by Jesus as to merit to

rest your head on His divine bosom and to be left, in His stead, as a son to His most holy Mother. I implore you to inflame me with an ardent love for Jesus and Mary. I ask you to obtain for me from our Lord the grace that, even now, with my heart set free from earthly affections, I may become worthy to be ever united here on earth to Jesus as His faithful disciple and to Mary as her devoted son, in order to remain thus united to them both forever in heaven. Amen.

PRECURSOR OF THE LORD

Spirit of Detachment

Glorious St. John the Baptist, the greatest prophet among those born of woman. Although you were sanctified in your mother's womb and led a most innocent life, it was your will to retire into the desert, there to devote yourself to the practice of austerity and penance. Obtain for us from our Lord the grace to be wholly detached in heart from earthly things, and to practice Christian mortification with interior recollection and the spirit of holy prayer. Amen.

Invincible Constancy

Invincible martyr, for the honor of God and the salvation of souls you firmly withstood the impiety of Herod, even at the cost of your own life, and openly rebuked him for his flagrant immorality. Obtain for us by your prayers a brave and generous heart, that we may overcome all human respect and frankly profess our faith in loyal obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ our divine Master. Amen.

INTERCESSION AND EXAMPLE

Litany of Jesuit Saints and Blessed

LET US PRAY O God, You have drawn our hearts from the alluring vanities of the world and still inflame them with the desire of obtaining the reward of our holy vocation. Come and purify our souls and grant us the strength to persevere in Your holy service. With the help of Your grace, may we keep the promises made to You and, being perfect masters of our holy vocation, obtain the reward You have promised to those who persevere. Amen.

St. Ignatius

O God, in order to promote the greater glory of Your name, You fortified Your Church militant with a new army through the work of blessed Ignatius. May his help and example bring us through our battle on earth to be crowned with him in heaven. Amen.

St. Francis Xavier

O God, You brought the people of India into the fold of Your Church through the preaching and miracles of blessed Francis. Grant that we who venerate his glorious merits may also imitate his virtues. Amen.

St. Francis Borgia

O Lord Jesus Christ, You are the model of true humility and the reward of the humble. Let us share Your contempt for worldly honor, as Your blessed confessor Francis did, so that we may also share with this saint the glory of being Your follower. Amen.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

O God, among the gifts of heaven bestowed upon the angelic youth, Aloysius, You united a wondrous innocence to his exceptional spirit of penance. Although we have not followed his path of innocence, may we at least imitate his penance through his own merits and prayers. Amen.

St. Stanislaus Kostka

O God, among the wonders of Your wisdom You have given the grace of mature holiness even to those of tender age. We ask You to grant that, after the example of blessed Stanislaus, we may redeem the time by earnest endeavor and thus hasten to enter into eternal rest. Amen.

St. John Francis Regis

O God, You adorned blessed John Francis Your confessor with wondrous love and unconquered patience in enduring labors for the salvation of souls. In Your mercy grant that, being taught by his example and assisted by his prayers, we may obtain the reward of everlasting life. Amen.

St. Francis Jerome

O God, for the salvation of souls You made blessed Francis an eminent preacher of Your word. Grant us, by his intercession, both to search out Your commandments with our hearts and by our actions faithfully to put them into practice. Amen.

Sts. Paul, John, and James

O God, in the blood of Your holy martyrs Paul, John, and James You strengthened the first fruits of the faith among the people of Japan. In Your mercy grant that we who are inspired by their example may, by their prayers, be helped to make confession of Your name. Amen.

St. Peter Clover

O God, when You wished to call the enslaved Negroes to the knowledge of Your name You strengthened blessed Peter with wondrous charity and patience for their aid. Grant us by his intercession that, seeking the things of Jesus Christ, we may love our neighbors in deed and truth. Amen.

St. John Berchmans

O God, You established the wonderful sanctity of blessed John, Your confessor, in the perfect observance of regular discipline and in innocence of life. Grant through his merits and prayers that, faithfully observing the precepts of Your law, we may acquire purity of mind and body, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Alphonsus Rodriguez

O God, the strength of the weak and exalter of the humble, You willed to make Your servant Alphonsus illustrious by the continual exercise of mortification and deepest humility. Grant that, imitating him, we may attain to everlasting glory by faithfully persevering in mortification of the flesh and in following the cross of Your Son, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Peter Canisius

O God, You made the blessed confessor Peter a bulwark of virtue and learning in the defense of the Catholic faith. May his example and teaching lead the erring back to the path of salvation and strengthen the faithful in bearing witness to the truth, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Robert Bellarmine

O God, You fortified Your blessed bishop and doctor Robert with remarkable learning and courage to expose the dangers of error and defend the rights of the Holy See. May we grow in love of truth, and may they who have been led astray by falsehood come back to the unity of Your Church through the intercession of Your saint, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

North American Martyrs

O God, You blessed the first fruits of the faith in the vast expanse of North America by the missionary labors and martyrdom of blessed Isaac, John, and their companions. May the harvest for Christ grow daily more abundant in the whole world through the intercession of these saints, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Andrew Bobola

O God, when blessed Andrew had been sorely tried by manifold tortures in the confession of the true faith, You crowned him with a glorious martyrdom. We ask You to grant that, remaining steadfast in the same faith, we may suffer any evil rather than the loss of our souls. Amen.

St. John de Britto

O God, for the extension of the Catholic faith in the Indies You strengthened blessed John with unwavering constancy. Grant through his merits and intercession that we who celebrate the memory of his triumph may also imitate the example of his faith, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Bernardine Realino

Bestow upon us, O Lord, at the intercession of blessed Bernardine, the spirit of humility and charity which You had divinely infused to make him an eminent minister of Your loving kindness, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Joseph Pignatelli

O God, You strengthened Your confessor Joseph with indomitable courage in adversity. Grant by his intercession that we may pass unharmed through the changing circumstances of this world and deserve to arrive safely in the port of eternal happiness, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Margaret Mary

St. Margaret Mary, you were made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We ask you to obtain for us from this adorable Heart the graces that we need so much. We ask these favors of you with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to grant them to us through your intercession, so that He may be loved and glorified again through you. Amen.

v Pray for us, St. Margaret.
R That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY Lord Jesus Christ, You have wonderfully opened the unsearchable riches of Your

Heart to the virgin St. Margaret. Grant us, by her merits and our imitation of her, to love You in all things and above all things, and be worthy to have our, everlasting dwelling in Your same Sacred Heart: Who live and reign world without end. Amen.

Patron Saint

Son of Adam, son of my nature, the same by nature, differing only in grace, man, like myself, exposed to temptation, the same temptation, to the same warfare within and without; with the same three deadly enemies—the world, the flesh and the devil; with the same human, the same wayward heart: differing only as the power of God had changed and ruled it. You were not an angel from heaven but a man, whom grace and grace alone had made to differ from me. You preached not yourself but Jesus Christ our Lord. My patron, St. (NAME), pray for me. Amen.

Cardinal Newman

Heavenly Patron, in whose name I glory, pray always for me to God. Strengthen me in faith, establish me in virtue, guard me in the conflict, that I may conquer the malicious enemy and reach eternal glory. Amen.

   § Good Jesus, let me not be separated from You and Your Society. Bless me, Virgin Mary, together with your Child.

St. Ignatius

The faithful who, on any of the ten Sundays preceding the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, or on any of ten consecutive Sundays they may choose during the year, spend some time in devout meditation or prayer in honor of the saint, or who perform some other acts of devotion, are granted a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions. The following prayer is suggested.

Glorious patriarch, St. Ignatius, we humbly beg you to obtain for us from almighty God above all deliverance from sin, which is the greatest of evils, and next from …

May your example inflame our hearts with an effectual desire to spend ourselves continually in laboring for the greater glory of God and the good of our fellow men. Likewise obtain for us from the loving Heart of Jesus our Lord that grace which is the crown of all graces, the gift of final perseverance and everlasting happiness. Amen.

For Generosity

Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve You as You deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I am doing Your will. Amen.

St. Ignatius

Litany

LET US PRAY Lord Jesus Christ, ever increase in our souls the spirit of the Society of Jesus. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, grant us, we beseech You, eminence in all those virtues which make us true sons of the Society: devoted love of You, energetic zeal for souls and for Your greater glory, union and charity with one another, humility, obedience, careful poverty, the spirit of prayer, and continual self-abnegation. Vouchsafe, dear Lord, to keep far from us the evil of worldliness and all self-indulgence, which enfeeble our spirit and our devotedness to You. Deign to draw us ever closer to Your great Sacred Heart, that its spirit may reign in our souls to inspire our interior life and give efficacy to our apostolate. Amen.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make our heart like unto Your Heart.

Queen of the Society of Jesus, pray for us.

   § Jesus, King and center of all hearts, by the coming of Your kingdom, grant us peace.

Novena to St. Ignatius

Well done, good and faithful servant, because you have been faithful over a few things, I will place you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

v Our Lord has guided the just man by right ways.
R And has shown him the kingdom of God.

LET US PRAY O God, in order to promote the greater glory of Your name, You fortified Your Church militant with a new army through the work of blessed Ignatius. May his help and example bring us through our battle on earth to be crowned with Him in heaven. Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be to the Father.

St. Francis Xavier

The Novena of Grace dates from an appearance of St. Francis Xavier in 1633. While supervising decorations in the royal church of Naples, Father Mastrilli was critically injured by a hammer dropped from above. As he lingered at the point of death, St. Francis appeared to him, asked him to repeat his vow of going to the Indies, and then immediately cured him. Xavier assured him that all who would call on him for nine days in honor of his canonization would "infallibly experience the effects of his great power in heaven and receive whatever they asked that would contribute to their salvation."

This devotion is called the Novena of Grace because of the remarkable favors received through the merits of St. Francis. If for any reason the novena prayer cannot be said, it is enough to recite the Pater, Ave, and Gloria five times. Moreover only the first prayer is required for gaining the indulgence.

O most lovable and loving St. Francis Xavier, in union with you I reverently adore the Divine Majesty. While joyfully giving thanks to God for the singular gifts of grace bestowed upon you during life and your glory after death, I ask you with all my heart's devotion to be pleased to obtain for me, by your powerful intercession, the greatest of all blessings: the grace of living a holy life and dying a holy death. Moreover, I beg of you to obtain for me (mention the spiritual or temporal favor you wish to receive). But if what I humbly ask of you does not tend to the glory of God and the greater good of my soul, obtain for me, I pray, what is more conducive to both. Amen. Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be to the Father.

v Pray for us, St. Francis Xavier.
R That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY O God, You were pleased by the preaching and miracles of St. Francis Xavier to join to Your Church the nations of the Indies. Mercifully grant that we who reverence his glorious merits may also follow the example of his virtues, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Daily Prayers

O my God, three Persons in one God, I believe with my heart all that the holy Roman Catholic and apostolic Church believes and teaches concerning You; all that she believes and teaches concerning the Son of the eternal Father, who for me was made man, suffered, died, and rose again, and who reigns in heaven with the Father and the Holy Spirit; and all the other articles of faith which this holy Church teaches and professes.

I am ready to lose everything, to suffer all violence, and more than that, to pour out my blood and my life, rather than allow this faith to be taken from me, or allow the least doubt about any part of it. I am fully resolved to live and die in this profession, and if speech fail me when I come to my last hour, now at this moment, instead of then, I declare in words which express my whole heart that I acknowledge You, Lord Jesus Christ, for the Son of God. I believe in You, and I submit most humbly to You my whole mind.

Jesus Christ my Redeemer, from You and Your divine mercy I hope through Your merits and assisted by Your help to correspond to this grace by good works. I trust that by my obedience to the precepts of Your holy law I shall one day enter the glory and happiness for which You were pleased to create and call me.

My God, I love You above all things, and I hate and detest with my whole soul the sins by which I have offended You, because they are displeasing in Your sight, who are supremely good and worthy to be loved. I acknowledge that I should love You with a love beyond all others, and that I should try to prove this love to You. I consider You in my mind as infinitely greater than everything in the world, no matter how precious or beautiful. I therefore firmly and irrevocably resolve never to consent to offend You or do anything which may displease Your sovereign goodness and place me in danger of falling from Your holy grace, in which I am fully determined to persevere to my dying breath. Amen.

St. Francis Xavier

Mercy and Grace

Lord Jesus Christ, in Your power are all things and there is no one who can resist Your will. You deigned to be born as man and to rise again. By the mystery of Your most sacred body, by Your five wounds, and the shedding of Your most precious blood, have mercy on us, according as You know what we need for our bodies and souls. Deliver us from the temptations of the devil and from everything by which You know we are oppressed. Keep us safe and strengthen us in Your service unto the end. Give us time to do penance, and grant the remission of all our sins when we come to die. Make us love one another, our brethren and

sisters, friends and enemies, that hereafter we may rejoice forever with Your saints in Your kingdom, who, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign God for ever and ever. Amen.

St. Francis Xavier

Six Sundays of St. Aloysius

The faithful who, on any of the six Sundays immediately preceding the feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, or on any six consecutive Sundays they may choose during the year, spend some time in devout meditation or prayers, or who perform some other exercise of devotion in honor of the same saint, are granted a plenary indulgence on the usual conditions.

St. Aloysius, adorned with angelic virtues, I, your most unworthy client, earnestly commend to you the chastity of my body and mind. I ask you, for the sake of your angelic purity, to commend me to the Immaculate Lamb, Christ Jesus, and to His most holy Mother, the virgin of virgins; and to protect me from every grievous sin. Do not allow me to defile myself by any stain of impurity. When you see me in temptation or in danger of sin, banish from my heart every unclean thought and desire. Remind me to think of eternity and of Jesus crucified. Imprint deeply in my heart a lively sense of the holy fear of God. Grant me the grace to imitate you on earth that I may worthily enjoy the possession of God in heaven with you. Amen.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be to the Father.

v Pray for us, St. Aloysius.
R That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY O God, the distributor of heavenly gifts, who united in the angelic youth Aloysius a wonderful innocence of life with an equal severity of penance; grant through his merits and prayers that we who have not followed the example of his innocence may imitate his practice of penance. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Novena Prayers to St. Stanislaus

St. Stanislaus, my loving and most powerful patron, angel of purity and seraph of love, I rejoice with you on your happy death, caused by your longing to see Mary assumed bodily into heaven and completed by your strong impulse of love toward her. I give thanks to Mary who was pleased to hear and answer your prayers, and I ask you, by the glory of your happy death, to be my advocate and patron when I come to die. Intercede with Mary for me that my death, if not as happy as yours, may at least be peaceful under the protection of Mary, my advocate, and of you my special patron.

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be to the Father.

v Pray for us, St. Stanislaus.
R That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY O God, among the wonders of Your wisdom You have given the grace of mature holiness even to those of tender age. We ask You to grant that, after the example of blessed Stanislaus, we may redeem the time by earnest endeavor and thus hasten to enter into eternal rest. Amen.

For Religious Fidelity to St. John Berchmans

Angelic St. John Berchmans, fragrant flower of innocence, strenuous soldier of the Company of Jesus, ardent defender of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, whom the all-wise providence of God has set up as a light and pattern, to reveal in you treasures of that holiness which consists in the devoted and holy fulfillment of the common duties of life, I earnestly beseech you to make me ever constant and faithful in observing the duties of my state of life. Make me pure in heart, fearless and strong against the enemies of my eternal salvation, and cheerfully obedient to the promptings of God's holy will.

By your singular devotion to the loving Mother of Jesus Christ, who looked upon you also as her dear son, obtain for me the grace of a fervent love for Jesus and Mary, together with the power of drawing many others to love them in like manner. Wherefore, dear St. John, I choose you as my special patron, humbly beseeching you to make me zealous in the things that pertain to the honor of God, and to assist me by your help to lead a life filled with good works. Finally, when the hour of death comes, by your loving kindness, foster in me those sentiments of humble confidence which, at the moment of your departure from this world to your heavenly home, as you devoutly clasped the image of Jesus crucified, together with Mary's rosary and your book of rules, impelled you to say: "These three things are my dearest possessions; with these I willingly die."

v Pray for us, St. John Berchmans,
R That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

LET US PRAY We ask You, Lord God, to grant us Your servants to follow the example of that innocence and fidelity in Your service, by which the angelic youth John sanctified the early years of his manhood. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

   § Holy Mary, be a help to the helpless, strength to the fearful, comfort to the sorrowful, pray for the people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all holy women consecrated to God. May all who cherish Your memory feel the might of your assistance.

   § O God, You appointed Your only-begotten Son to be the Savior of mankind and commanded His name to be called Jesus. Mercifully grant that we may enjoy the vision of Him in heaven, whose holy name we venerate on earth. Through the same Christ our lord. Amen.

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