GENERAL PRAYERS

 Morning Offering

Lord god Almighty, who have brought us to the beginning of the day, defend us during this day by your power, that we may not fall into sin but but all our words, thoughts and deeds may always proceed and be directed toward that which is just in your sight . Amen.

Evening Prayer

O my God , at the end of this day I thank you heartily for all the graces I have recieved from you. I am sorry that I have not made a better use of them. I am sorry for all the sins I have committed against you. Forgive me, O my God, and graciously protect me this night, Blessed Virgin Mary, my dear heavenly mother , take me under your protection. St. Joseph, my dear Guardian Angel, and all you saints of God, pray for me. Sweet Jesus, have pity have pity on all for sinners, and save them from hell. Have mercy on the suffering souls in purgatory. Amen.

Prayer before a Crucifix

Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, while before your face I humbly kneel, and and with ba burning soul pray and beseech you to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment, while I contemplate with great love and tender pity your five wounds, pondering over them within me, calling to mind the words which David, your profit, said of you, my dear Jesus; "They have pierced my hands and my feet; they have numbered all my bones."(Ps 21,17-18)

Prayer for Religious Voctions

Father, you call all who believe in you to grow perfect in love by following in the footsteps of Christ your Son. May those whome you have chosen to serve you as religious provide by their way a convincing sign of your kingdom for the Church and the whole world. Amen.

Prayer for Priests

O mu Most Sweet Jesus, O Jesus, Eternal High Priest, keep your Priests in the shelter of your Sacred Heart, where no one can hurt them. Keep their anopinted hands unsullied, which daily handle your Sacred Body. Keep pure the lips which are reddend with your Precious Blood. Keep pure and unworldly their hearts which are sealed with the sublime token of your glorious priesthood. Cause them to grow in love and loyalty to you and protect them from the contamination of the world. With their power of transforming bread and wine, give them the power of transforming hearts. Bless their work with rich fruit and grant them one day the crown of eternal life.Amen.

St. Gertrude's Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory

Eternal Father, I offer you the Most Precious Blood of your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the whole world today, for all the Holy Souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

0

Why are there so many variations of the "Our Father?

 If you emply modern variations, these are due to the constant endeavour of the Church to adapt herself to the contemporary man. At times there is a lack of coordination between the different countries which speak the same language, for example Britain, the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, South Africa, for English; Spain and Latin America for Spanish, Portugal and Brazil for Portuguese. But, a worldwide effort has been made, since the late sixties, in the last century, in the "Ecumenical Bibles' where most denominations take part and reach one unified text. Now, if the question refers to the two versions of the "Our Father" in the Gospels of St. Mathew (6:9-12) and Luke (11: 2-4), then one can notice the following: 

(a) Both text are substantially the same and express roughly and basically same ideas. 

(b) The present Matthew's "Lord's prayer" reports, in koine (colonial) Greek the Words of the Lord in a way which is very close and nearly literally translates the Hebrew and Aramaic expressions of the original pronounced by Jesus. Most of the invocations are literal quotations, done by the Lord himself and collected by him. Hebrews and Aramaic Jewish prayers but the genius of Jesus was to put them together and to give a deeply different meaning to some expressions. For instance "the Kingdom " of God was commonly thought of, in the Jewish milieu, as a world empire thanks to political and military power.

(c) Luke's Gospel, the best Greek writer in the New Testament, reproduces exactly the same words and ideasof the Lord's prayer, putting some expressions in the Greek (Hellenistic) framework - the only means to have people coming from a pagan background understand the text, memorize it and use it for the Christian Prayer "par excellence". The Jewish typical Hebrew expression "Avinu shebashamym" "Our Father in Heaven" was qouted by Jesus. It was well known in the Jewish synagogue devotion. Unfortunately, for the Jews, God was /is considered as their exclusive Father, being the "Lord and Master" of the nations. When Jesus asked us, even from pagan origin, to say "Our Father", he extended the dimensions of the "OUR" to the whole humankind. This is exactly what St. Luke reports in the universal unlimited invocation "Father", "Abba (Greek: Pater); Father of all ! In Luke 11:4  St. Luke explicates (explains) the meaning of the Aramaic "hawbaya" (debts), that it means "sins transgressions".