Special Prayers For Young Women

Hello friends!

Last time, we talked about making time in your day to pray.  There are so many good and holy prayers available but I just want to highlight some that I've found helpful as a Catholic young woman.  Most of these prayers can be found in The Catholic Girls Guide by Fr. Lasance, which is a very helpful and handy book!

"Make me a clean heart, O God: And renew a right spirit within me.  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." 

Morning Offering

"In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I will begin this day.

I thank you, Lord, for having preserved me during the night. I will do my best to make all I do today pleasing to You and in accordance with Your will. My dear mother Mary, watch over me this day. My Guardian Angel, take care of me. St. Joseph and all you saints of God, pray for me.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father.

I wish to gain all the indulgences attached to the prayers I shall say and the good works I shall perform this day. Amen."

Here's another beautiful offering I just found on http://www.ccwatershed.org/

 Evening Prayers

"When at night I lay me down, God's protecting love I own;
Heart and hands to Him I raise;
For His gifts I give Him praise.
Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,
The ills that I this day have done;
And let His cross--my refuge sure--
Preserve my soul from thoughts impure;
May holy angels while I sleep,
Their watchful guard around me keep."

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul;
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony;
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you!"

If you don't already say morning and night prayers, just start with these.  Don't be hard on yourself.  Really, what better way is there to start and end your day than thinking about God?

If you already say morning and/or night prayers, I'd love to hear which prayers you use in the comments below!  Are you looking for some more prayers to help you during the day then?  Here are some of my favorite prayers and aspirations.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.  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.  Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.  Hail Mary . . .  And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.  Hail Mary . . .  Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray:  Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy 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 the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Litany of Humility

"O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,
                                               Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
                                            Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…"

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas Before Reading and Studying

"Grant me grace O Merciful God to desire ardently all that is pleasing to Thee,

to examine it prudently to acknowledge it truthfully and to accomplish it perfectly for the praise and glory of Thy Name.  Amen."

Indulgenced Prayer Before a Crucifix

"Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, while before Thy face I humbly kneel, and with burning soul pray and beseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment; and while I contemplate thy five wounds, pondering over them within me, and calling to mind the words which David, Thy prophet, said of Thee, O good Jesus: "They have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My bones." (Psalm XXI)

Now, of course, anyone can really pray these prayers but here are a few more especially for you, the young Catholic woman:

My Vocation In Life

"Behold me at thy feet, O Virgin most kind, seeking to obtain through thee, the most important grace of knowing what I ought to do.  I desire nothing bt to comply perfectly with the Will of thy Devine Son at every moment of my life.  Mother of Good Counsel, let me hear thy voice.  It will dispel every doubt that troubles my mind.

I trust in thee, being confident that, since thou art the Mother of my Redeemer, thou wilt also be the Mother of my salvation.  If thou, O Mary, wilt not send me a ray of the Divine Sun, what light will enlighten me?  Who will direct me if thou refusest, who art the Mother of the uncreated wisdom?

Listen then, to my humble prayers.  Let me not be lost in my uncertainty and instability; lead me along the straight road that ends in life everlasting, Thou, who art my only hope, and whose hands are full of the riches of virtue and of life, and who dispensest the fruits of honor and holiness."

Praise of God's Will

"May the most just, the most high, the most lovable will of God be in all things done, and praised, and forever magnified!

O Lord, increase our faith."

O Domina Mea

"My Queen!  My Mother!  I give myself entirely to thee; and to show my devotion to thee, I consecrate to thee this day my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my whole being, without reserve.  Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me and guard me as thy property and possession."

A Prayer for When We Have Sinned...Again

By Jacques Philippe

"Lord, I ask your pardon, I have sinned again. This, alas, is what I am capable of doing on my own! But I abandon myself with confidence to your mercy and your pardon, I thank you for not allowing me to sin even more grievously. I abandon myself to You with confidence because I know that one day you will heal me completely and, in the meantime, I ask you that the experience of my misery would cause me to be more humble, more considerate of others, more conscious that I can do nothing by myself, but that I must rely solely on your love and your mercy. Amen."

If you have prayers you say regularly, I would love to hear about them. Do you have a great prayer to recommend to Catholic young women? Please put it in the comments below!  I sincerely hope you find these prayers helpful and maybe you'll use them from time to time!  God love you!!