| Devotion to Our Lady |
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PRUDENT PROTECTIVE PRAYER FOR DAYS OF DISEASE AND FEARFUL TIMES
(see below for initial Table of Contents for forthcoming topics)
In view of the current concern, fear or even panic in face of the Coronavirus Pandemic
This will be a special dedicated page that will help us look at things with a supernatural calm. It will ...
(1) Provide the official prayers and priestly blessings of the Church to be said and given during such times;
(2) Provide specially composed Psalm and Holy Scripture based prayers asking God for protection from plagues and diseases;
(3) Provide special prayers to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady Help of Christians and Our Lady Health of the Sick;
(4) Provide daily meditations from Holy Scripture and Lives of Saints that pertain to disease and protection from disease;
(5) Provide indications from Prophecies and Private Revelations as to what to expect and how to act in these times;
(6) Provide spiritual guidance on how to view the current crisis from a supernatural and profitable viewpoint; and many other insights to strengthen your Faith, Hope, Courage, Spirit of Sacrifice and Penance, and above all confident Perseverance.
Eventually, with the frequent daily changes and updates, with the continual new material being added, at some point a PDF file will be created that could well be called a book of prayers, meditations, reflections, counsels and pertinent information―both supernatural and natural―for your spiritual and bodily health and welfare―regardless of who or what is behind this event.
This PDF will be then made available for free download for your daily use. It will be a book that will be of use during any kind of personal illness, epidemic or pandemic.
The world's doctors seek a vaccine. We seek first the vaccine of God. We turn first to the vaccine of prayer.
“Without Me―you can do nothing!” (John 15:5). “All things were made by Him―and without Him was made nothing that was made!” (John 1:3).
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His justice―and all these things shall be added unto you!” (Luke 12:31).
“If thou seek Him, thou shalt find Him―but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever!” (1 Paralipomenon 28:9).
“You shall seek Me and shall find Me when you shall seek Me with all your heart!” (Jeremias 29:13).
“He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of God. He shall say to the Lord: ‘Thou art my protector, my refuge and my God! In Him will I trust!’ He will overshadow thee with His shoulders and under His wings thou shalt trust. His truth shall compass thee with a shield; thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand―but it shall not come near thee. No evil shall come to thee; nor shall the scourge come near thy dwelling. For He hath given His angels charge over thee―to keep thee in all thy ways. In their hands they shall bear thee up―lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Because he hoped in Me―I will deliver him. I will protect him―because he hath known My Name. He shall cry to Me, and I will hear him! I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him. I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him My salvation.” (Psalm 90).
“Ask, and it shall be given you! Seek, and you shall find! Knock, and it shall be opened to you!” (Matthew 7:7).
“All things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer―believing―you shall receive!” (Matthew 21:22).
“You ask and receive not―because you ask amiss!” (James 4:3).
“Whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of Him―because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing in His sight!” (1 John 3:22).
(see below for initial Table of Contents for forthcoming topics)
In view of the current concern, fear or even panic in face of the Coronavirus Pandemic
This will be a special dedicated page that will help us look at things with a supernatural calm. It will ...
(1) Provide the official prayers and priestly blessings of the Church to be said and given during such times;
(2) Provide specially composed Psalm and Holy Scripture based prayers asking God for protection from plagues and diseases;
(3) Provide special prayers to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady Help of Christians and Our Lady Health of the Sick;
(4) Provide daily meditations from Holy Scripture and Lives of Saints that pertain to disease and protection from disease;
(5) Provide indications from Prophecies and Private Revelations as to what to expect and how to act in these times;
(6) Provide spiritual guidance on how to view the current crisis from a supernatural and profitable viewpoint; and many other insights to strengthen your Faith, Hope, Courage, Spirit of Sacrifice and Penance, and above all confident Perseverance.
Eventually, with the frequent daily changes and updates, with the continual new material being added, at some point a PDF file will be created that could well be called a book of prayers, meditations, reflections, counsels and pertinent information―both supernatural and natural―for your spiritual and bodily health and welfare―regardless of who or what is behind this event.
This PDF will be then made available for free download for your daily use. It will be a book that will be of use during any kind of personal illness, epidemic or pandemic.
The world's doctors seek a vaccine. We seek first the vaccine of God. We turn first to the vaccine of prayer.
“Without Me―you can do nothing!” (John 15:5). “All things were made by Him―and without Him was made nothing that was made!” (John 1:3).
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His justice―and all these things shall be added unto you!” (Luke 12:31).
“If thou seek Him, thou shalt find Him―but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever!” (1 Paralipomenon 28:9).
“You shall seek Me and shall find Me when you shall seek Me with all your heart!” (Jeremias 29:13).
“He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of God. He shall say to the Lord: ‘Thou art my protector, my refuge and my God! In Him will I trust!’ He will overshadow thee with His shoulders and under His wings thou shalt trust. His truth shall compass thee with a shield; thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand―but it shall not come near thee. No evil shall come to thee; nor shall the scourge come near thy dwelling. For He hath given His angels charge over thee―to keep thee in all thy ways. In their hands they shall bear thee up―lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Because he hoped in Me―I will deliver him. I will protect him―because he hath known My Name. He shall cry to Me, and I will hear him! I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him. I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him My salvation.” (Psalm 90).
“Ask, and it shall be given you! Seek, and you shall find! Knock, and it shall be opened to you!” (Matthew 7:7).
“All things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer―believing―you shall receive!” (Matthew 21:22).
“You ask and receive not―because you ask amiss!” (James 4:3).
“Whatsoever we shall ask, we shall receive of Him―because we keep His commandments and do those things which are pleasing in His sight!” (1 John 3:22).
ENVISAGED TABLE OF CONTENTS
(NOT IN ANY CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)
Over the course of the coming weeks and months, the following topics will be considered in order to help to understand, act and cope with what God is allowing and man is machinating. These topics are not entire in their coverage and allow for additional material to be included. Obviously, not all the following subjects can be considered and presented at the same time. Nevertheless, a mix-and-match of all three major sub-sections will always be presented on a daily basis. Some topics will be posted for a short while and then removed to make way for other topics―so that the page does not become interminably long. At some point, a PDF file will be created―which will contain all the material that will have been posted―both the removed materials and the ever-present materials.
(NOT IN ANY CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER)
Over the course of the coming weeks and months, the following topics will be considered in order to help to understand, act and cope with what God is allowing and man is machinating. These topics are not entire in their coverage and allow for additional material to be included. Obviously, not all the following subjects can be considered and presented at the same time. Nevertheless, a mix-and-match of all three major sub-sections will always be presented on a daily basis. Some topics will be posted for a short while and then removed to make way for other topics―so that the page does not become interminably long. At some point, a PDF file will be created―which will contain all the material that will have been posted―both the removed materials and the ever-present materials.
► RATIONALIZING AND UNDERSTANDING SICKNESS, DISEASE & DANGER
● Reflections and Meditations on the purpose and profit in sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Biblical Perspective to sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Our Lady’s words from Fatima, Good Success, La Salette, Akita, Lourdes, on sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Prophecy on sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● History of Mankind in matters of sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Attitude and Approach of the Church to sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Sermons that deal with sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Psychological Aspect of sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● The Medical Approach to sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Holy Scripture Cases of Miraculous Cures and Protection from sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Non-Scriptural Cases of Miraculous Cures and Protection from sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Enemies of the Church and their use of sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
► PRAYING THROUGH SICKNESS, DISEASE & DANGER
● Blessings for the Sick taken from the Roman Ritual for both adults and children.
● Seven Penitential Psalms.
● Other Psalms relating to sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Rosary Meditations related to handling sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Prayers to Our Lady of Perpetual Help; Our Lady Help of Christians; Our Lady Health of the Sick; Our Lady of Lourdes.
● Other Prayers: Liturgical and non-liturgical
● Holy Mass Collects concerning sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Holy Mass Readings concerning sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
► WHAT CONCRETE MEASURES CAN BE TAKEN IN FACE OF SICKNESS, DISEASE & DANGER
● Seeking God First and not just when everything else fails.
● The Teaching of the Church on what must be done in face of difficulties and dangers.
● Remedies Offered by the Church when faced with sickness, disease, difficulties and dangers.
● Natural and Human Remedies when faced with sickness, disease, difficulties and dangers.
● A Look at How Others are Coping with sickness, disease, difficulties and dangers.
● Practical Suggestions
● Reflections and Meditations on the purpose and profit in sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Biblical Perspective to sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Our Lady’s words from Fatima, Good Success, La Salette, Akita, Lourdes, on sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Prophecy on sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● History of Mankind in matters of sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Attitude and Approach of the Church to sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Sermons that deal with sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Psychological Aspect of sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● The Medical Approach to sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Holy Scripture Cases of Miraculous Cures and Protection from sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Non-Scriptural Cases of Miraculous Cures and Protection from sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Enemies of the Church and their use of sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
► PRAYING THROUGH SICKNESS, DISEASE & DANGER
● Blessings for the Sick taken from the Roman Ritual for both adults and children.
● Seven Penitential Psalms.
● Other Psalms relating to sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Rosary Meditations related to handling sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Prayers to Our Lady of Perpetual Help; Our Lady Help of Christians; Our Lady Health of the Sick; Our Lady of Lourdes.
● Other Prayers: Liturgical and non-liturgical
● Holy Mass Collects concerning sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
● Holy Mass Readings concerning sickness, disease and threatening dangers.
► WHAT CONCRETE MEASURES CAN BE TAKEN IN FACE OF SICKNESS, DISEASE & DANGER
● Seeking God First and not just when everything else fails.
● The Teaching of the Church on what must be done in face of difficulties and dangers.
● Remedies Offered by the Church when faced with sickness, disease, difficulties and dangers.
● Natural and Human Remedies when faced with sickness, disease, difficulties and dangers.
● A Look at How Others are Coping with sickness, disease, difficulties and dangers.
● Practical Suggestions
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Before we even think of anything else―whether it be prayer or action―there are some things that first need clarifying and putting into true perspective.
Before we even think of anything else―whether it be prayer or action―there are some things that first need clarifying and putting into true perspective.
First Comes First
We speak of “First-Aid” and “First-Responders” and being “First-on-the-Scene”, etc. We see how the business world attaches an importance to being “First”―companies such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Nescafe, are evidence of the value assigned to being first in a category and work hard at attaining and maintaining world domination. They want to achieve “first-place” in their area of competition and maintain that “first-place.”
“FIRST-AID” is the first and immediate assistance given to any person suffering from either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial intervention in a serious condition prior to professional medical help being available, such as performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while waiting for an ambulance, as well as the complete treatment of minor conditions, such as applying a plaster to a cut. The primary goal of first aid is to prevent death or serious injury from worsening. The key aims of first aid can be summarized with the acronym of “the three Ps”
● Preserve life: The overriding aim of all medical care, which includes first-aid, is to save lives and minimize the threat of death. First aid done correctly should help reduce the patient’s level of pain and calm them down during the evaluation and treatment process.
● Prevent further harm: Prevention of further harm includes addressing both external factors, such as moving a patient away from any cause of harm, and applying first aid techniques to prevent worsening of the condition, such as applying pressure to stop a bleed becoming dangerous.
● Promote recovery: First-aid also involves trying to start the recovery process from the illness or injury, and in some cases might involve completing a treatment, such as in the case of applying a plaster to a small wound.
It is important to note that first aid is not medical treatment and cannot be compared with what a trained medical professional provides. First aid involves making common sense decisions in best interest of an injured person.
A “FIRST-RESPONDER” is someone designated or trained to respond to an emergency. A first responder is a real-life superhero. They are someone whose job is to respond immediately (first) when there is an accident or emergency, a natural disaster, or act of terrorism. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), paramedics, firefighters, police officers, rescuers, military personnel and other trained members of organizations connected with this type of work, are all considered first responders. What we expect and look for in “First-Responders” is a high level of knowledge, skill, care, dedication and bravery.
God the First-Responder with First-Aid
Who has a greater knowledge than God? Who has a greater skill-set than God? Who cares more than God? Who is more dedicated than God? Who is braver than God? Nobody! Then why is God the last one on the list in cases of emergency, danger or catastrophe? Nothing happens―whether it be good or evil―without God either wanting it to happen or allowing it to happen. God wants good to happen, but He will also allow evil things to happen to us as a punishment for our sins.
As that wonderful little book, Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence, says: Nothing happens in the universe without God willing and allowing it. This statement must be taken absolutely of everything with the exception of sin. “Nothing occurs by chance in the whole course of our lives” is the unanimous teaching of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, “and God intervenes everywhere.”
“I am the Lord,” He tells us Himself by the mouth of the prophet Isaias, “and there is none else. I form light and create darkness; I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things” (Isaias 45:6‑7). “It is I who bring both death and life, I who inflict wounds and heal them,” He said to Moses (Deuteronomy 32:39). “The Lord killeth and maketh alive,” it is written in the Canticle of Anna, the mother of Samuel, “He bringeth down to the tomb and He bringeth back again; the Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, he humbleth and he exalteth” (1 Kings 2:6‑7). “Shall there be evil (disaster, affliction) in a city which the Lord hath not done?” (Amos 3:6) asks the prophet Amos. “Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches are from God,” Solomon proclaims (Ecclesiasticus 11:14). And so on in numerous other passages of Scripture.
Perhaps you will say that while this is true of certain necessary effects, like sickness, death, cold and heat, and other accidents due to natural causes which have no liberty of action, the same cannot be said in the case of things that result from the free will of man. For if, you will object, someone slanders me, robs me, strikes me, persecutes me, how can I attribute his conduct to the will of God who, far from wishing me to be treated in such a manner, expressly forbids it? So the blame, you will conclude, can only be laid on the will of man, on his ignorance or malice. This is the defense behind which we try to shelter from God and excuse our lack of courage and submission.
It is quite useless for us to try and take advantage of this way of reasoning as an excuse for not surrendering to Providence. God Himself has refuted it and we must believe on His word that in events of this kind as in all others, nothing occurs except by His order and permission.
Let us see what the Scriptures say:
He wishes to punish the murder and adultery committed by David and He expresses Himself as follows by the mouth of the prophet Nathan: “Why therefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, to do evil in my sight? Thou hast killed Urias the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Urias the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes and give them to thy neighbor and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and in the sight of the sun.” (2 Kings 12:9‑12).
Later when the Jews by their iniquities had grievously offended Him and provoked His wrath, He says: “The Assyrian is the rod and the staff of my anger, and my indignation is in his hands. I will send him to the deceitful nation, and I will give him charge against the people of my wrath, to take away the spoils, and to lay hold on the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets” (Isaias 10:5‑6).
Could God more openly declare Himself to be responsible for the evils that Absalom caused his father and the King of Assyria the Jews? It would be easy to find other instances but these are enough. Let us conclude then with St. Augustine: “All that happens to us in this world against our will (whether due to men or to other causes) happens to us only by the will of God, by the disposal of Providence, by His orders and under His guidance; and if from the frailty of our understanding we cannot grasp the reason for some event, let us attribute it to divine Providence, show Him respect by accepting it from His hand, believe firmly that He does not send it us without cause.”
Replying to the murmurs and complaints of the Jews who attributed their captivity and sufferings to misfortune and causes other than the will of God, the prophet Jeremias says to them: “Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not? Do not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest? Why doth a living man murmur, a man suffering for his sins? Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens, saying, We have done wickedly and provoked thee to wrath; therefore thou art inexorable” (Lamentations 3:37‑42).
Are not these words clear enough? We should take them to heart for our own good. Let us be careful to attribute everything to the will of God and believe that all is guided by His paternal hand.
How Can God Will or Allow Evil?
However, you will perhaps now say, there is sinfulness in all these actions. How then can God will them and take part in them if He is all‑holy and can have nothing in common with sin?
God indeed is not and cannot be the author of sin. But it must be remembered that in every sin there are two parts to be distinguished, one natural and the other moral. Thus, in the action of the man you think you have a grievance against there is, for example, the movement of the arm that strikes you or the tongue that offends you, and the movement of the will that turns aside from right reason and the law of God. The physical action of the arm or the tongue, like all natural things, is quite good in itself and there is nothing to prevent its being produced with and by God’s cooperation. What is evil, what God could not cooperate with, is the sinful intention which the will of man contributes to the act.
When a man walks with a crippled leg the movement he makes comes both from the soul and the leg, but the defect which causes him to walk badly is only in the leg. In the same way all evil actions must be attributed to God and to man in so far as they are natural, physical acts, but they can be attributed only to the will of man in so far as they are sinful and blameworthy.
If then someone strikes you or slanders you, as the movement of the arm or tongue is in no way a sin, God can very well be, and actually is, the author of it; for existence and movement in man not less than in any other creature proceed not from himself but from God, who acts in him and by him. “For in Him” says St. Paul, “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). As for the malice of the intention, it proceeds entirely from man and in it alone is the sinfulness in which God has no share but which He yet permits in order not to interfere with our freedom of will.
Moreover, when God cooperates with the person who attacks or robs you, He doubtless intends to deprive you of health or goods, because you are making a wrong use of them and they will be harmful to your soul. But He does not intend that the attacker or robber should take them from you by a sin. That is the part of human malice, not God’s design.
An example may make the matter clearer. A criminal is condemned to death by fair trial. But the executioner happens to be a personal enemy of his, and instead of carrying out the judge’s sentence as a duty, he does so in a spirit of hate and revenge. Obviously the judge has no share in the executioner’s sin. The will and intention of the judge is not that this sin should be committed, but that justice should take its course and the criminal be punished.
In the same way God has no share at all in the wickedness of the man who strikes or robs you. That is something particular to the man himself. God, as we have said, wishes to make you see your own faults, to humble you, deprive you of what you possess, in order to free you from vice and lead you to virtue; but this good and merciful design, which He could carry out in numerous other ways without any sin being involved, has nothing. in common with the sin of the man who acts as His instrument. And in fact it is not this man’s evil intention or sin that causes you to suffer, humiliates or impoverishes you, but the loss of your well-being, your good name or your possessions. The sin harms only the person who is guilty of it. This is the way we ought to separate the good from the evil in events of this kind, and distinguish what God operates through men from what men add to the act by their own will.
We ought to conform to God’s will in all public calamities such as war, famine and pestilence, and reverence and adore His judgments with deep humility in the firm belief that, however severe they may seem, the God of infinite goodness would not send such disasters unless some great good were to result from them. Consider how many souls may be saved through tribulation which would otherwise be lost, how many persons through affliction are converted to God and die with sincere repentance for their sins. What may appear a scourge and punishment is often a sign of great grace and mercy.
As far as we are personally concerned, let us meditate well on this truth of our faith that “the very hairs of our head are numbered” (Matthew 10:30) and not one of them will fall except by the will of God. In other words we cannot suffer the least harm unless He wills and orders it. Relying on this truth we can easily understand that we have nothing more or less to fear in times of public calamity than at any other time. God can just as easily protect us in the midst of general ruin and despair as He can deliver us from evil while all around is peace and content. The only thing we need to be concerned about is to gain His favor, and this is the inevitable effect of conforming our will to His. Let us therefore hasten to accept from His hand all that He sends us, and as a result of our trustful surrender He will either cause us to gain the greatest advantages from our misfortunes or else spare us them altogether.
Practical Examples
St. Gregory sets the same truth before us in another light. A doctor, he says, orders leeches to be applied. While these small creatures are drawing blood from the patient their only aim is to gorge themselves and suck up as much of it as they can. The doctor’s only intention is to have the impure blood drawn from the patient and to cure him in this manner. There is therefore no relation between the insatiable greed of the leeches and the intelligent purpose of the doctor in using them. The patient himself does not protest at their use. He does not regard the leeches as evildoers. Rather he tries to overcome the repugnance the sight of their ugliness causes and help them in their action, in the knowledge that the doctor has judged it useful for his health. God makes use of men as the doctor does of leeches. Neither should we then stop to consider the evilness of those to whom God gives power to act on us or be grieved at their wicked intentions, and we should keep ourselves from feelings of aversion towards, them. Whatever their particular views may be, in regard to us they are only instruments of wellbeing, guided by the hand of an all‑good, all‑wise, all‑powerful God who will allow them to act on us only in so far as is of use to us. It is in our interest to welcome instead of trying to repel their assaults, as in very truth they come from God. And it is the same with all creatures of whatever kind. Not one of them could act upon us unless the power were given it from above.
This truth has always been familiar to the minds of those truly enlightened by God. We have a celebrated example in Job. He loses his children and his possessions; he falls from the height of fortune to the depths of poverty. And he says: “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. As it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:21). “Note” observes St. Augustine, “Job does not say ‘The Lord gave and the devil hath taken away’ but says, wise that he is, ‘The Lord gave me my children and my possessions, and it is He who has taken them away; it has been done as it has pleased the Lord.’”
The example of Joseph is no less instructive. His brothers had sold him into slavery from malice and for a wicked purpose, and nevertheless the holy patriarch insists on attributing all to God’s providence. God sent me, he says, before you into Egypt to save life.... “God sent me before you to preserve a remnant for you in the land, and to deliver you in a striking way. Not you but God sent me here, and made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 45:5‑8).
Let us now listen to Our Savior himself who came down from Heaven to teach us by His word and example. In an excess of zeal Peter tries to turn him aside from His purpose of submitting to His passion and prevent the soldiers laying their bands on Him. But Jesus said to him: “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (John 18:11). In fact He attributed the suffering and ignominy of His passion not to the Jews who accused Him, not to Judas who betrayed Him, nor to Pilate who condemned Him, nor to the soldiers who ill‑treated and crucified Him, nor to the devil who incited them all, though they were the immediate causes of His sufferings, but to God, and to God not considered as a strict judge but as a loving and beloved Father.
Let us never then attribute our losses, our disappointments, our afflictions, our humiliations to the devil or to men, but to God as their real source. “To act otherwise” says St. Dorothy, “would be to do the same as a dog who vents his anger on the stone instead of putting the blame on the hand that threw it at him.” So let us be careful not to say “So‑and‑so is the cause of my misfortune.” Your misfortunes are the work not of this or that person, but of God. And what should give you reassurance is that God, the sovereign good, is guided in all His actions by His most profound wisdom for holy and supernatural purposes.
Furthermore, God is also guided by His love for you―and like any loving father on Earth, God prefers to heal and cure with the least painful medicine available. He prefers to use short-term and less painful measures to clean us and heal us from sin on Earth, rather than having to use much more long-term (or even eternal) medicines after we die―meaning the medicine of the Fires of Purgatory, or, worse still, the Fires of Hell. All sin must be purged, cleansed and paid for―therefore we should look upon sickness, illness and disease as intruments of the Divine Doctor or Divine Surgeon in Heaven, who uses them as medicine to both prevent sin and cure sin here on Earth. “For whom the Lord loveth, He chastiseth; and He scourgeth every son whom He receiveth!” (Hebrews 12:6).
We speak of “First-Aid” and “First-Responders” and being “First-on-the-Scene”, etc. We see how the business world attaches an importance to being “First”―companies such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Nescafe, are evidence of the value assigned to being first in a category and work hard at attaining and maintaining world domination. They want to achieve “first-place” in their area of competition and maintain that “first-place.”
“FIRST-AID” is the first and immediate assistance given to any person suffering from either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial intervention in a serious condition prior to professional medical help being available, such as performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while waiting for an ambulance, as well as the complete treatment of minor conditions, such as applying a plaster to a cut. The primary goal of first aid is to prevent death or serious injury from worsening. The key aims of first aid can be summarized with the acronym of “the three Ps”
● Preserve life: The overriding aim of all medical care, which includes first-aid, is to save lives and minimize the threat of death. First aid done correctly should help reduce the patient’s level of pain and calm them down during the evaluation and treatment process.
● Prevent further harm: Prevention of further harm includes addressing both external factors, such as moving a patient away from any cause of harm, and applying first aid techniques to prevent worsening of the condition, such as applying pressure to stop a bleed becoming dangerous.
● Promote recovery: First-aid also involves trying to start the recovery process from the illness or injury, and in some cases might involve completing a treatment, such as in the case of applying a plaster to a small wound.
It is important to note that first aid is not medical treatment and cannot be compared with what a trained medical professional provides. First aid involves making common sense decisions in best interest of an injured person.
A “FIRST-RESPONDER” is someone designated or trained to respond to an emergency. A first responder is a real-life superhero. They are someone whose job is to respond immediately (first) when there is an accident or emergency, a natural disaster, or act of terrorism. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), paramedics, firefighters, police officers, rescuers, military personnel and other trained members of organizations connected with this type of work, are all considered first responders. What we expect and look for in “First-Responders” is a high level of knowledge, skill, care, dedication and bravery.
God the First-Responder with First-Aid
Who has a greater knowledge than God? Who has a greater skill-set than God? Who cares more than God? Who is more dedicated than God? Who is braver than God? Nobody! Then why is God the last one on the list in cases of emergency, danger or catastrophe? Nothing happens―whether it be good or evil―without God either wanting it to happen or allowing it to happen. God wants good to happen, but He will also allow evil things to happen to us as a punishment for our sins.
As that wonderful little book, Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence, says: Nothing happens in the universe without God willing and allowing it. This statement must be taken absolutely of everything with the exception of sin. “Nothing occurs by chance in the whole course of our lives” is the unanimous teaching of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, “and God intervenes everywhere.”
“I am the Lord,” He tells us Himself by the mouth of the prophet Isaias, “and there is none else. I form light and create darkness; I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things” (Isaias 45:6‑7). “It is I who bring both death and life, I who inflict wounds and heal them,” He said to Moses (Deuteronomy 32:39). “The Lord killeth and maketh alive,” it is written in the Canticle of Anna, the mother of Samuel, “He bringeth down to the tomb and He bringeth back again; the Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, he humbleth and he exalteth” (1 Kings 2:6‑7). “Shall there be evil (disaster, affliction) in a city which the Lord hath not done?” (Amos 3:6) asks the prophet Amos. “Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches are from God,” Solomon proclaims (Ecclesiasticus 11:14). And so on in numerous other passages of Scripture.
Perhaps you will say that while this is true of certain necessary effects, like sickness, death, cold and heat, and other accidents due to natural causes which have no liberty of action, the same cannot be said in the case of things that result from the free will of man. For if, you will object, someone slanders me, robs me, strikes me, persecutes me, how can I attribute his conduct to the will of God who, far from wishing me to be treated in such a manner, expressly forbids it? So the blame, you will conclude, can only be laid on the will of man, on his ignorance or malice. This is the defense behind which we try to shelter from God and excuse our lack of courage and submission.
It is quite useless for us to try and take advantage of this way of reasoning as an excuse for not surrendering to Providence. God Himself has refuted it and we must believe on His word that in events of this kind as in all others, nothing occurs except by His order and permission.
Let us see what the Scriptures say:
He wishes to punish the murder and adultery committed by David and He expresses Himself as follows by the mouth of the prophet Nathan: “Why therefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, to do evil in my sight? Thou hast killed Urias the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Urias the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes and give them to thy neighbor and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and in the sight of the sun.” (2 Kings 12:9‑12).
Later when the Jews by their iniquities had grievously offended Him and provoked His wrath, He says: “The Assyrian is the rod and the staff of my anger, and my indignation is in his hands. I will send him to the deceitful nation, and I will give him charge against the people of my wrath, to take away the spoils, and to lay hold on the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets” (Isaias 10:5‑6).
Could God more openly declare Himself to be responsible for the evils that Absalom caused his father and the King of Assyria the Jews? It would be easy to find other instances but these are enough. Let us conclude then with St. Augustine: “All that happens to us in this world against our will (whether due to men or to other causes) happens to us only by the will of God, by the disposal of Providence, by His orders and under His guidance; and if from the frailty of our understanding we cannot grasp the reason for some event, let us attribute it to divine Providence, show Him respect by accepting it from His hand, believe firmly that He does not send it us without cause.”
Replying to the murmurs and complaints of the Jews who attributed their captivity and sufferings to misfortune and causes other than the will of God, the prophet Jeremias says to them: “Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord commandeth it not? Do not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest? Why doth a living man murmur, a man suffering for his sins? Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the heavens, saying, We have done wickedly and provoked thee to wrath; therefore thou art inexorable” (Lamentations 3:37‑42).
Are not these words clear enough? We should take them to heart for our own good. Let us be careful to attribute everything to the will of God and believe that all is guided by His paternal hand.
How Can God Will or Allow Evil?
However, you will perhaps now say, there is sinfulness in all these actions. How then can God will them and take part in them if He is all‑holy and can have nothing in common with sin?
God indeed is not and cannot be the author of sin. But it must be remembered that in every sin there are two parts to be distinguished, one natural and the other moral. Thus, in the action of the man you think you have a grievance against there is, for example, the movement of the arm that strikes you or the tongue that offends you, and the movement of the will that turns aside from right reason and the law of God. The physical action of the arm or the tongue, like all natural things, is quite good in itself and there is nothing to prevent its being produced with and by God’s cooperation. What is evil, what God could not cooperate with, is the sinful intention which the will of man contributes to the act.
When a man walks with a crippled leg the movement he makes comes both from the soul and the leg, but the defect which causes him to walk badly is only in the leg. In the same way all evil actions must be attributed to God and to man in so far as they are natural, physical acts, but they can be attributed only to the will of man in so far as they are sinful and blameworthy.
If then someone strikes you or slanders you, as the movement of the arm or tongue is in no way a sin, God can very well be, and actually is, the author of it; for existence and movement in man not less than in any other creature proceed not from himself but from God, who acts in him and by him. “For in Him” says St. Paul, “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). As for the malice of the intention, it proceeds entirely from man and in it alone is the sinfulness in which God has no share but which He yet permits in order not to interfere with our freedom of will.
Moreover, when God cooperates with the person who attacks or robs you, He doubtless intends to deprive you of health or goods, because you are making a wrong use of them and they will be harmful to your soul. But He does not intend that the attacker or robber should take them from you by a sin. That is the part of human malice, not God’s design.
An example may make the matter clearer. A criminal is condemned to death by fair trial. But the executioner happens to be a personal enemy of his, and instead of carrying out the judge’s sentence as a duty, he does so in a spirit of hate and revenge. Obviously the judge has no share in the executioner’s sin. The will and intention of the judge is not that this sin should be committed, but that justice should take its course and the criminal be punished.
In the same way God has no share at all in the wickedness of the man who strikes or robs you. That is something particular to the man himself. God, as we have said, wishes to make you see your own faults, to humble you, deprive you of what you possess, in order to free you from vice and lead you to virtue; but this good and merciful design, which He could carry out in numerous other ways without any sin being involved, has nothing. in common with the sin of the man who acts as His instrument. And in fact it is not this man’s evil intention or sin that causes you to suffer, humiliates or impoverishes you, but the loss of your well-being, your good name or your possessions. The sin harms only the person who is guilty of it. This is the way we ought to separate the good from the evil in events of this kind, and distinguish what God operates through men from what men add to the act by their own will.
We ought to conform to God’s will in all public calamities such as war, famine and pestilence, and reverence and adore His judgments with deep humility in the firm belief that, however severe they may seem, the God of infinite goodness would not send such disasters unless some great good were to result from them. Consider how many souls may be saved through tribulation which would otherwise be lost, how many persons through affliction are converted to God and die with sincere repentance for their sins. What may appear a scourge and punishment is often a sign of great grace and mercy.
As far as we are personally concerned, let us meditate well on this truth of our faith that “the very hairs of our head are numbered” (Matthew 10:30) and not one of them will fall except by the will of God. In other words we cannot suffer the least harm unless He wills and orders it. Relying on this truth we can easily understand that we have nothing more or less to fear in times of public calamity than at any other time. God can just as easily protect us in the midst of general ruin and despair as He can deliver us from evil while all around is peace and content. The only thing we need to be concerned about is to gain His favor, and this is the inevitable effect of conforming our will to His. Let us therefore hasten to accept from His hand all that He sends us, and as a result of our trustful surrender He will either cause us to gain the greatest advantages from our misfortunes or else spare us them altogether.
Practical Examples
St. Gregory sets the same truth before us in another light. A doctor, he says, orders leeches to be applied. While these small creatures are drawing blood from the patient their only aim is to gorge themselves and suck up as much of it as they can. The doctor’s only intention is to have the impure blood drawn from the patient and to cure him in this manner. There is therefore no relation between the insatiable greed of the leeches and the intelligent purpose of the doctor in using them. The patient himself does not protest at their use. He does not regard the leeches as evildoers. Rather he tries to overcome the repugnance the sight of their ugliness causes and help them in their action, in the knowledge that the doctor has judged it useful for his health. God makes use of men as the doctor does of leeches. Neither should we then stop to consider the evilness of those to whom God gives power to act on us or be grieved at their wicked intentions, and we should keep ourselves from feelings of aversion towards, them. Whatever their particular views may be, in regard to us they are only instruments of wellbeing, guided by the hand of an all‑good, all‑wise, all‑powerful God who will allow them to act on us only in so far as is of use to us. It is in our interest to welcome instead of trying to repel their assaults, as in very truth they come from God. And it is the same with all creatures of whatever kind. Not one of them could act upon us unless the power were given it from above.
This truth has always been familiar to the minds of those truly enlightened by God. We have a celebrated example in Job. He loses his children and his possessions; he falls from the height of fortune to the depths of poverty. And he says: “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. As it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” (Job 1:21). “Note” observes St. Augustine, “Job does not say ‘The Lord gave and the devil hath taken away’ but says, wise that he is, ‘The Lord gave me my children and my possessions, and it is He who has taken them away; it has been done as it has pleased the Lord.’”
The example of Joseph is no less instructive. His brothers had sold him into slavery from malice and for a wicked purpose, and nevertheless the holy patriarch insists on attributing all to God’s providence. God sent me, he says, before you into Egypt to save life.... “God sent me before you to preserve a remnant for you in the land, and to deliver you in a striking way. Not you but God sent me here, and made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 45:5‑8).
Let us now listen to Our Savior himself who came down from Heaven to teach us by His word and example. In an excess of zeal Peter tries to turn him aside from His purpose of submitting to His passion and prevent the soldiers laying their bands on Him. But Jesus said to him: “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (John 18:11). In fact He attributed the suffering and ignominy of His passion not to the Jews who accused Him, not to Judas who betrayed Him, nor to Pilate who condemned Him, nor to the soldiers who ill‑treated and crucified Him, nor to the devil who incited them all, though they were the immediate causes of His sufferings, but to God, and to God not considered as a strict judge but as a loving and beloved Father.
Let us never then attribute our losses, our disappointments, our afflictions, our humiliations to the devil or to men, but to God as their real source. “To act otherwise” says St. Dorothy, “would be to do the same as a dog who vents his anger on the stone instead of putting the blame on the hand that threw it at him.” So let us be careful not to say “So‑and‑so is the cause of my misfortune.” Your misfortunes are the work not of this or that person, but of God. And what should give you reassurance is that God, the sovereign good, is guided in all His actions by His most profound wisdom for holy and supernatural purposes.
Furthermore, God is also guided by His love for you―and like any loving father on Earth, God prefers to heal and cure with the least painful medicine available. He prefers to use short-term and less painful measures to clean us and heal us from sin on Earth, rather than having to use much more long-term (or even eternal) medicines after we die―meaning the medicine of the Fires of Purgatory, or, worse still, the Fires of Hell. All sin must be purged, cleansed and paid for―therefore we should look upon sickness, illness and disease as intruments of the Divine Doctor or Divine Surgeon in Heaven, who uses them as medicine to both prevent sin and cure sin here on Earth. “For whom the Lord loveth, He chastiseth; and He scourgeth every son whom He receiveth!” (Hebrews 12:6).
PRAYER OF SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF GOD
Everything that God does for us or allows to happen to us―whether it be good or evil in our eyes―is always for our ultimate and eternal profit and salvation. We need humility to realize this, accept this and thank God for this.
Everything that God does for us or allows to happen to us―whether it be good or evil in our eyes―is always for our ultimate and eternal profit and salvation. We need humility to realize this, accept this and thank God for this.
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We can do no better than to look at Our Lord's Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He was repulsed and horrified by the thought of what He would have to suffer. He repeatedly begged His Father―through intense prayers―to take this chalice of suffering away from Him. Nevertheless, He humbly resigned Himself to His Father’s will in the event that His Father would judge it best to have Christ suffer the Passion and die.
“Then Jesus came with them into a country place, which is called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples: ‘Sit you here, till I go yonder and pray!’ And taking with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to grow sorrowful and to be sad. Then He saith to them: ‘My soul is sorrowful even unto death! Stay you here and watch with Me!’ And going a little further, He fell upon His face, praying, and saying: ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt!’ And He cometh to His disciples, and findeth them asleep, and He saith to Peter: ‘What? Could you not watch one hour with Me? Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation! The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak!’ Again the second time, He went and prayed, saying: ‘My Father, if this chalice may not pass away, but I must drink it―thy will be done. And He cometh again and findeth them sleeping―for their eyes were heavy. And leaving them, He went again and He prayed the third time, saying the selfsame words. Then He cometh to His disciples, and saith to them: ‘Sleep ye now and take your rest; behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners!’” (Matthew 26:36-45). |
The prayer entitled “Suscipe”―pronounced “sus-chip-hey”―from the Latin word “receive”―is a short but powerful prayer attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola. It is found towards the end of his Spiritual Exercises, first published in the 16th century. Note the moving simplicity that underlies this “surrender” to God:
“Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess, Thou hast given me: I surrender it all to Thee to be disposed of according to Thy will. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace; with these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more. Amen.”
NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
In this novena, we pray to be able to align our will with God’s. This is something that saints have been praying for and doing for centuries, so the novena will use different quotes from saints, asking that they may intercede on our behalf as we strive to grow in greater conformity to the will of God. With regard to “Surrendering to the Will of God” ― we often use the word “surrender” when discussing a fight. Those who feel they are losing the fight, decide that they have fought long enough and raise a white flag to acknowledge defeat and let the other side know that they will submit to their demands. When we surrender to God’s will, we say that we are done fighting Him and are ready to do what He asks of us. But when we surrender, it is not like surrendering to a hostile, selfish dictator, who wants to take our goods. It is more like a toddler, throwing a temper tantrum, and then finally giving in to a parent, who only wants what is best for their child.
SHORT DAILY PRAYERS FOR THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
► DAY 1 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Mary, who, by submitting yourself to God’s will, became the Mother of God Incarnate, help us grow in Faith, so that we may be able to accept and respond to whatever God asks of us, by saying, “May it be done unto me according to Thy word” (Luke 1:38). “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 2 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Jesus, Son of God, Who taught us how to pray to the Father as we ought, saying: “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Teach us to pray these words with great Faith and devotion. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 3 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Jesus, God, Who became man, Thou didst show us how to submit ourselves to the will of God the Father―even during difficult trials that we do not wish to endure―when Thou didst say before Thy Passion: “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me! Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt!” (Matthew 26:39). Help us in our trials to actively submit ourselves to the will of the Father. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 4 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). St. Paul, you explain to us that “we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Intercede on my behalf that I may have the perseverance and grace to commit myself to the work that God has prepared for me. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 5 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). St. Paul, you told the early Christians: “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Intercede on our behalf that we may have a spirit able to discern and follow the will of God. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 6 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Blessed Charles Eugene de Foucauld, who gave his life for God by being martyred, pray that I may live out the prayer you wrote in life: “Father, I abandon myself into Thy hands! Do with me what Thou will. Whatever Thou may do, I thank Thee! I am ready for all, I accept all! Let only Thy will be done in me, and in all Thy creatures! I wish no more than this, O Lord! Into Thy hands I commend my spirit! I offer it to Thee with all the love of my heart, for I do love Thee, Lord, and so need to give myself, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for Thou art my Father. Amen.” “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 7 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). St. Ignatius of Loyola, who sought true heroism and found it in serving God, pray that I might live out your prayer: “Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, Lord, I return it. Everything is Thine―do with it what Thou will. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace―that is enough for me.” “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 8 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us that we may live out God’s will in our everyday lives by embodying your words: “The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner He wills it; and thirdly to do it because it is His will.” “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 9 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Many saints have offered up much physical suffering during life for the salvation of souls, let their examples help me to faithfully carry out God’s will―for true love of God consists in accepting God’s will and carrying out God's will. To show God our love in what we do and what we suffer, all our actions and attitudes, even the least, must spring from our love of God. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
“Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess, Thou hast given me: I surrender it all to Thee to be disposed of according to Thy will. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace; with these I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more. Amen.”
NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
In this novena, we pray to be able to align our will with God’s. This is something that saints have been praying for and doing for centuries, so the novena will use different quotes from saints, asking that they may intercede on our behalf as we strive to grow in greater conformity to the will of God. With regard to “Surrendering to the Will of God” ― we often use the word “surrender” when discussing a fight. Those who feel they are losing the fight, decide that they have fought long enough and raise a white flag to acknowledge defeat and let the other side know that they will submit to their demands. When we surrender to God’s will, we say that we are done fighting Him and are ready to do what He asks of us. But when we surrender, it is not like surrendering to a hostile, selfish dictator, who wants to take our goods. It is more like a toddler, throwing a temper tantrum, and then finally giving in to a parent, who only wants what is best for their child.
SHORT DAILY PRAYERS FOR THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
► DAY 1 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Mary, who, by submitting yourself to God’s will, became the Mother of God Incarnate, help us grow in Faith, so that we may be able to accept and respond to whatever God asks of us, by saying, “May it be done unto me according to Thy word” (Luke 1:38). “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 2 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Jesus, Son of God, Who taught us how to pray to the Father as we ought, saying: “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Teach us to pray these words with great Faith and devotion. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 3 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Jesus, God, Who became man, Thou didst show us how to submit ourselves to the will of God the Father―even during difficult trials that we do not wish to endure―when Thou didst say before Thy Passion: “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from Me! Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt!” (Matthew 26:39). Help us in our trials to actively submit ourselves to the will of the Father. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 4 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). St. Paul, you explain to us that “we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Intercede on my behalf that I may have the perseverance and grace to commit myself to the work that God has prepared for me. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 5 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). St. Paul, you told the early Christians: “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Intercede on our behalf that we may have a spirit able to discern and follow the will of God. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 6 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Blessed Charles Eugene de Foucauld, who gave his life for God by being martyred, pray that I may live out the prayer you wrote in life: “Father, I abandon myself into Thy hands! Do with me what Thou will. Whatever Thou may do, I thank Thee! I am ready for all, I accept all! Let only Thy will be done in me, and in all Thy creatures! I wish no more than this, O Lord! Into Thy hands I commend my spirit! I offer it to Thee with all the love of my heart, for I do love Thee, Lord, and so need to give myself, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for Thou art my Father. Amen.” “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 7 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). St. Ignatius of Loyola, who sought true heroism and found it in serving God, pray that I might live out your prayer: “Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, Lord, I return it. Everything is Thine―do with it what Thou will. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace―that is enough for me.” “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 8 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us that we may live out God’s will in our everyday lives by embodying your words: “The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner He wills it; and thirdly to do it because it is His will.” “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
► DAY 9 OF THE NOVENA FOR SURRENDERING TO THE WILL OF GOD
Heavenly Father, all I have is a gift from Thee. In return, may my life be an ongoing gift to Thee. Conform my will to Thine that our wills may be one. I place this petition in Thy hands. Help me to fully entrust it to Thee (mention your intentions here). Many saints have offered up much physical suffering during life for the salvation of souls, let their examples help me to faithfully carry out God’s will―for true love of God consists in accepting God’s will and carrying out God's will. To show God our love in what we do and what we suffer, all our actions and attitudes, even the least, must spring from our love of God. “Teach me to accept and do Thy will, for Thou art my God! Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land!” (Psalm 142:10). Amen.
VARIOUS PRAYERS BESEECHING HEALTH
Prayer to Our Lady Health of the Sick
Virgin, most holy, Mother of the Word Incarnate, Treasurer of graces, and Refuge of sinners, I fly to your motherly affection with a lively Faith, and I beg of you the grace ever to do the will of God. Into your most holy hands I commit the keeping of my heart, asking you for health of both soul and body, in the certain hope that you, my most loving, compassionate and merciful Mother, will hear my prayer. Into the bosom of your tender mercy, this day, every day of my life, and at the hour of my death, I commend my soul and body. To you I entrust all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries, all my sufferings and sicknesses, my life and the end of my life, that all my actions may be ordered and disposed according to your will and that of your Divine Son. Amen.
Mary Immaculate, you have given yourself to us as Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. You have asked us to pray with confidence, and we will receive great graces. We know your compassion, because you saw your Son suffer and die for us. In your union with his suffering you became the mother of us all. Mary, my mother teach me to understand my suffering as you do and to endure it in union with the suffering of Jesus. In your motherly love, calm my fears and increase my trust in God's loving care. According to God's plan, obtain for me the healing I need. Intercede with your Son that I may have the strength I need to work for God's glory and the salvation of the world. Amen.
Mary, health of the sick, pray for us.
Various Lourdes Prayers For Healing
Prayer to be said when using Lourdes Water
Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
Mother of Mercy, have mercy on us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, heal us for the greater glory of the Holy Trinity.
Our Lady of Lourdes, heal us for the greater glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Lady of Lourdes, heal the sick and convert sinners.
Help of the suffering, pray for us.
Health of the sick, pray for us.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse in thee.
St. Bernadette, pray for us!
Amen
Our Lady of Lourdes Prayer for healing
O ever-Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners Comforter of the afflicted―you know my needs, my troubles, my sicknesses and sufferings. Look with mercy on me and help me in my need! By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your heavenly favors! Already many sufferers have obtained a cure from their infirmities―both spiritual and corporal. Therefore I come, with complete confidence, to implore your maternal intercession. Kindly obtain, O loving Mother, the granting of my requests (mention your petition). Through gratitude for your favors, I will endeavor to imitate your virtues on Earth, so that I may, one day, share your glory in Heaven. Amen.
To Heal a Friend
Look down, Our Lady of Lourdes, upon our friend who is ill, whom we now commend to your compassionate regard. Comfort him (her) upon his (her) sickbed, and ease his (her) suffering. We beg for deliverance from his (her) sickness, and submit that no healing is too hard for the Lord, if it be His will. We therefore pray, O Mediatrix of all grace, that you may intercede for our friend with your Divine Son, so that he (she) may receive Heaven’s loving care, find his (her) strength renewed, and healed from what ails him (her). Amen.
Prayer to God for Healing 1
Lord, look upon me with eyes of mercy, may Your healing hand rest upon me, may Your life-giving powers flow into every cell of my body and into the depths of my soul, cleansing, purifying, restoring me to wholeness and strength for service in Your Kingdom. Amen.
Prayer to God for Healing 2
O God who are the only source of health and healing, the spirit of calm and the central peace of this universe, grant to me such a consciousness of Your indwelling and surrounding presence, that I may receive from You health and strength and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer to God for Healing 3
Lord, You invite all who are burdened to come to you. Allow Your healing Hand to heal me. Touch my soul with Your compassion for others; touch my heart with Your courage and infinite Love for all; touch my mind with Your Wisdom, and may my mouth always proclaim Your praise. Teach me to reach out to You in all my needs, and help me to lead others to You by my example. Most loving Heart of Jesus, bring me health in body and spirit, that I may serve You with all my strength. Touch gently with Your grace and health this life which You have created, now and forever. Amen.
Virgin, most holy, Mother of the Word Incarnate, Treasurer of graces, and Refuge of sinners, I fly to your motherly affection with a lively Faith, and I beg of you the grace ever to do the will of God. Into your most holy hands I commit the keeping of my heart, asking you for health of both soul and body, in the certain hope that you, my most loving, compassionate and merciful Mother, will hear my prayer. Into the bosom of your tender mercy, this day, every day of my life, and at the hour of my death, I commend my soul and body. To you I entrust all my hopes and consolations, all my trials and miseries, all my sufferings and sicknesses, my life and the end of my life, that all my actions may be ordered and disposed according to your will and that of your Divine Son. Amen.
Mary Immaculate, you have given yourself to us as Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. You have asked us to pray with confidence, and we will receive great graces. We know your compassion, because you saw your Son suffer and die for us. In your union with his suffering you became the mother of us all. Mary, my mother teach me to understand my suffering as you do and to endure it in union with the suffering of Jesus. In your motherly love, calm my fears and increase my trust in God's loving care. According to God's plan, obtain for me the healing I need. Intercede with your Son that I may have the strength I need to work for God's glory and the salvation of the world. Amen.
Mary, health of the sick, pray for us.
Various Lourdes Prayers For Healing
Prayer to be said when using Lourdes Water
Blessed be the Holy and Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
Mother of Mercy, have mercy on us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
Our Lady of Lourdes, heal us for the greater glory of the Holy Trinity.
Our Lady of Lourdes, heal us for the greater glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Lady of Lourdes, heal the sick and convert sinners.
Help of the suffering, pray for us.
Health of the sick, pray for us.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse in thee.
St. Bernadette, pray for us!
Amen
Our Lady of Lourdes Prayer for healing
O ever-Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners Comforter of the afflicted―you know my needs, my troubles, my sicknesses and sufferings. Look with mercy on me and help me in my need! By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your heavenly favors! Already many sufferers have obtained a cure from their infirmities―both spiritual and corporal. Therefore I come, with complete confidence, to implore your maternal intercession. Kindly obtain, O loving Mother, the granting of my requests (mention your petition). Through gratitude for your favors, I will endeavor to imitate your virtues on Earth, so that I may, one day, share your glory in Heaven. Amen.
To Heal a Friend
Look down, Our Lady of Lourdes, upon our friend who is ill, whom we now commend to your compassionate regard. Comfort him (her) upon his (her) sickbed, and ease his (her) suffering. We beg for deliverance from his (her) sickness, and submit that no healing is too hard for the Lord, if it be His will. We therefore pray, O Mediatrix of all grace, that you may intercede for our friend with your Divine Son, so that he (she) may receive Heaven’s loving care, find his (her) strength renewed, and healed from what ails him (her). Amen.
Prayer to God for Healing 1
Lord, look upon me with eyes of mercy, may Your healing hand rest upon me, may Your life-giving powers flow into every cell of my body and into the depths of my soul, cleansing, purifying, restoring me to wholeness and strength for service in Your Kingdom. Amen.
Prayer to God for Healing 2
O God who are the only source of health and healing, the spirit of calm and the central peace of this universe, grant to me such a consciousness of Your indwelling and surrounding presence, that I may receive from You health and strength and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer to God for Healing 3
Lord, You invite all who are burdened to come to you. Allow Your healing Hand to heal me. Touch my soul with Your compassion for others; touch my heart with Your courage and infinite Love for all; touch my mind with Your Wisdom, and may my mouth always proclaim Your praise. Teach me to reach out to You in all my needs, and help me to lead others to You by my example. Most loving Heart of Jesus, bring me health in body and spirit, that I may serve You with all my strength. Touch gently with Your grace and health this life which You have created, now and forever. Amen.
BLESSING OF A SICK ADULT
This blessing is normally given by a priest. However, there is nothing wrong in additionally praying this rite of blessing on a daily basis as a private prayer, which, though it does not have the efficacy of being directly administered by the Church's appointed minister, it does nevertheless have the efficacy of being a sacramental (all prayer is a sacramental), which, for its power, would depend upon both the fervor and Faith of the sick person who prays it as a private prayer.
As Our Lord said to the centurion, without even going to visit the centurion’s sick servant: “‘Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee!’ And the servant was healed at the same hour” (Matthew 8:13).
This blessing is normally given by a priest. However, there is nothing wrong in additionally praying this rite of blessing on a daily basis as a private prayer, which, though it does not have the efficacy of being directly administered by the Church's appointed minister, it does nevertheless have the efficacy of being a sacramental (all prayer is a sacramental), which, for its power, would depend upon both the fervor and Faith of the sick person who prays it as a private prayer.
As Our Lord said to the centurion, without even going to visit the centurion’s sick servant: “‘Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee!’ And the servant was healed at the same hour” (Matthew 8:13).
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IF YOU ARE PRAYING OVER SOMEONE ELSE, USE THIS VERSION
The priest on entering the sick-room says: PRIEST: Peace be to this house. ALL: And in all who live herein. Then he goes up to the sick person and continues: PRIEST: Our help is in the Name of the Lord. ALL: Who made Heaven and Earth. PRIEST: Lord, hear my prayer. ALL: And let my cry come unto Thee! PRIEST: The Lord be with you. ALL: And with thy spirit. PRIEST: Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, as I, in all humility, enter this home, let there enter with me Thy peace and Thy mercy. Let all wiles of the devil be driven far from here, and let Thy angels of peace be present and may all wicked strife depart from this house. Teach us, O Lord, to recognize the majesty of Thy Holy Name, and bless what we are about to do; Thou Who art holy, Thou Who art kind, Thou Who dost abide with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. ALL: Amen PRIEST: Let us pray. We beg Thee, Lord, to look down with favor on Thy servant, who is weak and failing in health, and revive the soul which Thou hast created. So that, chastised and purified by this suffering, may he (she) know that he (she) has been saved by Thy healing; through Christ our Lord. ALL: Amen. PRIEST: Let us pray. Merciful Lord, consoler of all who believe in Thee, we appeal to Thy boundless love and compassion, so that by my humble visit Thou also visit this servant of Thine, lying on his (her) bed of pain, as you once visited the mother-in-law of Simon Peter. Graciously stand by him (her), Lord, so that he (she) may recover his (her) lost strength, and join with Thy Church in returning thanks to Thee, Who art God, living and reigning forever and ever. ALL: Amen. Then he holds his hand outstretched over the sick person and says: PRIEST: May our Lord Jesus Christ be with you to guard you, within you to preserve you, before you to lead you, behind you to protect you, above you to bless you; He who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. ALL: Amen. PRIEST: May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + (make the Sign of the Cross over the sick person) and Holy Spirit, come upon you and remain with you forever. ALL: Amen. He sprinkles the sick person with holy water. |
A SICK PERSON PRAYING FOR SELF SHOULD USE THIS VERSION
The sick person says the following prayers: Peace be to this house and in all who live herein. Our help is in the Name of the Lord―Who made Heaven and Earth. O Lord, hear my prayer―and let my cry come unto Thee! The Lord be with me and with my spirit. Lord Jesus Christ, as I, in all humility, lay sick in this home, please send me Thy peace and Thy mercy. Let all wiles of the devil be driven far from here, and let Thy angels of peace be present and may all wicked strife depart from this house. Teach me, O Lord, to recognize the majesty of Thy Holy Name, and bless me as I humbly recite this prayer; Thou Who art holy, Thou Who art kind, Thou Who dost abide with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. I beg Thee, Lord, to look down with favor upon me, Thy servant―for I am weak and failing in health―and revive the soul which Thou hast created. So that, chastised and purified by my sufferings, I may know that I have been saved by Thy healing; through Christ our Lord. Amen. Merciful Lord, consoler of all who believe in Thee, I appeal to Thy boundless love and compassion, so that, by my humble prayer, Thou mayest visit me, a poor servant of Thine, lying on my bed of pain, just as Thou once visited the fevered mother-in-law of Simon Peter. Graciously stand by me, Lord, so that I may recover my lost strength and health, and join with Thy Church in returning thanks to Thee, Who art God, living and reigning forever and ever. Amen. May our Lord Jesus Christ be with me to guard me―within me to preserve me―before me to lead me―behind me to protect me, above me to bless me; He who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen. May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + (make the Sign of the Cross over yourself) and Holy Spirit, come upon me and remain with me forever. Amen. Then sprinkle yourself with holy water. |
BLESSING OF A SICK CHILD
This blessing is normally given by a priest. However, there is nothing wrong in additionally praying this rite of blessing on a daily basis as a private prayer, which, though it does not have the efficacy of being directly administered by the Church's appointed minister, it does nevertheless have the efficacy of being a sacramental (all prayer is a sacramental), which, for its power, would depend upon both the fervor and Faith of the sick person who prays it as a private prayer. A parent, or grandparent, or relative, or guardian, or sibling, could say these prayers over a sick child as a private prayer.
As Our Lord said to the centurion, without even going to visit the centurion’s sick servant: “‘Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee!’ And the servant was healed at the same hour” (Matthew 8:13).
This blessing is normally given by a priest. However, there is nothing wrong in additionally praying this rite of blessing on a daily basis as a private prayer, which, though it does not have the efficacy of being directly administered by the Church's appointed minister, it does nevertheless have the efficacy of being a sacramental (all prayer is a sacramental), which, for its power, would depend upon both the fervor and Faith of the sick person who prays it as a private prayer. A parent, or grandparent, or relative, or guardian, or sibling, could say these prayers over a sick child as a private prayer.
As Our Lord said to the centurion, without even going to visit the centurion’s sick servant: “‘Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee!’ And the servant was healed at the same hour” (Matthew 8:13).
BLESSING OF SICK CHILD OR CHILDREN (VERSION #1)
If children who are ill are old enough to receive the sacrament of anointing of the sick, the same prayers and ceremonies are used as given in the chapter dealing with the visitation and care of the sick, depending on circumstances of time and illness. But for younger children the following can be used:
On entering the room of the sick child the priest says:
PRIEST: Peace be to this house.
ALL: And in all who live herein.
Next he sprinkles with holy water the sick child, the bed, and those standing around and the room itself without saying anything. Then he says psalm 112.
Antiphon: Praise the Lord, O children; praise the Name of the Lord.
Praise the Lord, ye children―praise ye the Name of the Lord.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Name of the Lord is worthy of praise.
The Lord is high above all nations; and His glory above the heavens.
Who is as the Lord our God, Who dwelleth on high,
And looketh down on the low things in Heaven and in Earth?
Raising up the needy from the earth, and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill
That He may place him with princes, with the princes of His people.
Who maketh a barren woman to dwell in a house as the joyful mother of children.
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.
Antiphon: Praise the Lord, O children; praise the Name of the Lord.
ALTERNATIVE VERSION OF THE PSALM
Antiphon: Praise the Lord, O children; praise the Name of the Lord.
Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the Name of the Lord.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord―both now and forever.
From the rising to the setting of the sun, is the Name of the Lord to be praised.
High above all nations is the Lord; above the Heavens is His glory.
Who is like the Lord Our God, Who is enthroned on high and looks upon the Heavens and the Earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill He lifts up the poor.
To seat them with the princes, with the princes of His own people.
He established the barren wife in her home as the joyful mother of children.
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.
Antiphon: Praise the Lord, O children; praise the Name of the Lord.
After the psalm he continues:
PRIEST: Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Our Father … (the rest is said silently until the last two lines…)
PRIEST: And lead us not into temptation.
ALL: But deliver us from evil.
PRIEST: Our God is merciful.
ALL: He is the Lord who watches over little children.
PRIEST: Let the little children come to Me.
ALL: The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
PRIEST: Lord, heed my prayer.
ALL: And let my cry be heard by you.
PRIEST: The Lord be with you.
ALL: May He also be with you.
PRIEST: Let us pray. God, by whose power all things grow to maturity, and once mature retain their strength, stretch out Thy right hand over this child, who is afflicted at this tender age. Let him (her) regain health, grow up to manhood (womanhood), and serve Thee with gratitude and fidelity all the days of his (her) life; through Christ our Lord.
ALL: Amen.
PRIEST: Let us pray. Merciful God and Father, our absolute comfort, Who, having the interests of Thy creatures at heart, are inclined in Thy goodness to bestow the grace of healing, not only on the soul, but also on the body; be pleased to raise up this sick child from his (her) bed of suffering, and to return him (her) in full health to Thy Church and to his (her) parents. May he (she) then―throughout the days of his (her) life, as he (she) advances in favor and knowledge in your sight and that of men―serve Thee by justice and holiness, and render Thee due thanks for Thy goodness; through Christ our Lord.
ALL: Amen.
PRIEST: Let us pray. God, who in a marvelous way have disposed the ministries of angels and of men, mercifully grant that the life on Earth, of this boy (girl), may be under the protection of those angels who minister to Thee in Heaven; through Christ our Lord.
ALL: Amen.
After this prayer the priest puts his right hand over the head of the child and says:
PRIEST: They shall lay their hands upon the sick and all will be well with them. May Jesus, Son of Mary, Lord and Savior of the world, through the merits and intercession of His holy Apostles Peter and Paul and all His saints, show you favor and mercy.
If he wishes, the priest may add the following passage from the Gospel, depending on the child’s condition and the desire of the parents:
PRIEST: The Lord be with you.
ALL: May He also be with you.
PRIEST: The beginning of the + Holy Gospel according to St. John.
ALL: Glory be to you, O Lord.
As the priest says “The beginning,” etc., he signs himself on the brow, mouth, and breast in the usual way; and signs the sick child in the same way, if the child cannot do so for itself.
The Gospel of St. John 1.1-14.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him and without Him was made nothing that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. And the Light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the Light, that all men might believe through him. He was not the Light, but was to give testimony of the Light. That was the true Light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in His Name. Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory―the glory, as it were of the only begotten of the Father―full of grace and truth.
Lastly he blesses the child, saying:
PRIEST: May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + (make the Sign of the Cross over the sick person) and Holy Spirit, come upon you and remain with you forever.
ALL: Amen.
He sprinkles him (her) (them) with holy water.
If there are several sick children in the room the prayers given above are said in the plural.
If children who are ill are old enough to receive the sacrament of anointing of the sick, the same prayers and ceremonies are used as given in the chapter dealing with the visitation and care of the sick, depending on circumstances of time and illness. But for younger children the following can be used:
On entering the room of the sick child the priest says:
PRIEST: Peace be to this house.
ALL: And in all who live herein.
Next he sprinkles with holy water the sick child, the bed, and those standing around and the room itself without saying anything. Then he says psalm 112.
Antiphon: Praise the Lord, O children; praise the Name of the Lord.
Praise the Lord, ye children―praise ye the Name of the Lord.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Name of the Lord is worthy of praise.
The Lord is high above all nations; and His glory above the heavens.
Who is as the Lord our God, Who dwelleth on high,
And looketh down on the low things in Heaven and in Earth?
Raising up the needy from the earth, and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill
That He may place him with princes, with the princes of His people.
Who maketh a barren woman to dwell in a house as the joyful mother of children.
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.
Antiphon: Praise the Lord, O children; praise the Name of the Lord.
ALTERNATIVE VERSION OF THE PSALM
Antiphon: Praise the Lord, O children; praise the Name of the Lord.
Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the Name of the Lord.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord―both now and forever.
From the rising to the setting of the sun, is the Name of the Lord to be praised.
High above all nations is the Lord; above the Heavens is His glory.
Who is like the Lord Our God, Who is enthroned on high and looks upon the Heavens and the Earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill He lifts up the poor.
To seat them with the princes, with the princes of His own people.
He established the barren wife in her home as the joyful mother of children.
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.
Antiphon: Praise the Lord, O children; praise the Name of the Lord.
After the psalm he continues:
PRIEST: Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Our Father … (the rest is said silently until the last two lines…)
PRIEST: And lead us not into temptation.
ALL: But deliver us from evil.
PRIEST: Our God is merciful.
ALL: He is the Lord who watches over little children.
PRIEST: Let the little children come to Me.
ALL: The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
PRIEST: Lord, heed my prayer.
ALL: And let my cry be heard by you.
PRIEST: The Lord be with you.
ALL: May He also be with you.
PRIEST: Let us pray. God, by whose power all things grow to maturity, and once mature retain their strength, stretch out Thy right hand over this child, who is afflicted at this tender age. Let him (her) regain health, grow up to manhood (womanhood), and serve Thee with gratitude and fidelity all the days of his (her) life; through Christ our Lord.
ALL: Amen.
PRIEST: Let us pray. Merciful God and Father, our absolute comfort, Who, having the interests of Thy creatures at heart, are inclined in Thy goodness to bestow the grace of healing, not only on the soul, but also on the body; be pleased to raise up this sick child from his (her) bed of suffering, and to return him (her) in full health to Thy Church and to his (her) parents. May he (she) then―throughout the days of his (her) life, as he (she) advances in favor and knowledge in your sight and that of men―serve Thee by justice and holiness, and render Thee due thanks for Thy goodness; through Christ our Lord.
ALL: Amen.
PRIEST: Let us pray. God, who in a marvelous way have disposed the ministries of angels and of men, mercifully grant that the life on Earth, of this boy (girl), may be under the protection of those angels who minister to Thee in Heaven; through Christ our Lord.
ALL: Amen.
After this prayer the priest puts his right hand over the head of the child and says:
PRIEST: They shall lay their hands upon the sick and all will be well with them. May Jesus, Son of Mary, Lord and Savior of the world, through the merits and intercession of His holy Apostles Peter and Paul and all His saints, show you favor and mercy.
If he wishes, the priest may add the following passage from the Gospel, depending on the child’s condition and the desire of the parents:
PRIEST: The Lord be with you.
ALL: May He also be with you.
PRIEST: The beginning of the + Holy Gospel according to St. John.
ALL: Glory be to you, O Lord.
As the priest says “The beginning,” etc., he signs himself on the brow, mouth, and breast in the usual way; and signs the sick child in the same way, if the child cannot do so for itself.
The Gospel of St. John 1.1-14.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him and without Him was made nothing that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. And the Light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the Light, that all men might believe through him. He was not the Light, but was to give testimony of the Light. That was the true Light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in His Name. Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory―the glory, as it were of the only begotten of the Father―full of grace and truth.
Lastly he blesses the child, saying:
PRIEST: May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + (make the Sign of the Cross over the sick person) and Holy Spirit, come upon you and remain with you forever.
ALL: Amen.
He sprinkles him (her) (them) with holy water.
If there are several sick children in the room the prayers given above are said in the plural.
PSALMS FOR TIMES OF SICKNESS OR DANGER
PSALM 95
[95:1] He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Jacob.
[95:2] He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector, and my refuge: my God, in Him will I trust.
[95:3] For He hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters: and from the sharp word.
[95:4] He will overshadow thee with His shoulders: and under His wings thou shalt trust.
[95:5] His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night.
[95:6] Of the arrow that flieth in the day, of the business that walketh about in the dark: of invasion, or of the noonday devil.
[95:7] A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee.
[95:8] But thou shalt consider with thy eyes: and shalt see the reward of the wicked.
[95:9] Because Thou, O Lord, art my hope! Thou hast made the most High thy refuge.
[95:10] There shall no evil come to thee: nor shall the scourge come near thy dwelling.
[95:11] For He hath given His angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.
[95:12] In their hands they shall bear thee up: lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
[95:13] Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk: and thou shalt trample underfoot the lion and the dragon.
[95:14] Because he hoped in Me I will deliver him: I will protect him because he hath known My Name.
[95:15] He shall cry to Me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him.
[95:16] I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him My salvation.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
EXTRACTS AND BLENDING OF PSALMS
My Strength is Dried-Up!
[37:2] Rebuke me not, O Lord, in Thy indignation; nor chastise me in Thy wrath.
[37:3] For Thy arrows are fastened in me: and Thy hand hath been strong upon me.
[37:4] There is no health in my flesh, because of Thy wrath: there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins.
[37:5] For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me.
[37:6] My sores are putrified and corrupted, because of my foolishness.
[37:7] I am become miserable, and am bowed down even to the end: I walked sorrowful all the day long.
[38:4] My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out.
[21:15] I am poured out like water; and all my bones are scattered! My heart is become like wax melting in the midst of my bowels!
[21:16] My strength is dried up like clay, and my tongue hath cleaved to my jaws: and Thou hast brought me down into the dust of death!
[30:23] I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before Thy eyes. Therefore Thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to Thee.
[29:10] What profit is there in my blood, whilst I go down to corruption? Shall dust confess to Thee, or declare Thy truth?
[38:11] Remove Thy scourges from me. The strength of Thy hand hath made me faint in rebukes:
[27:1] Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord: O my God, be not thou silent to me: lest Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Let Me Not Sleep in Death!
[26:7] Hear, O Lord, my voice, with which I have cried to Thee! Have mercy on me and hear me!
[6:2] O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy indignation, nor chastise me in Thy wrath.
[6:3] Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
[6:4] And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but Thou, O Lord, how long?
[6:5] Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for Thy mercy’s sake.
[6:6] For there is no one in death that is mindful of Thee: and who shall confess to Thee in Hell?
[6:7] I have labored in my groanings, every night I wash my bed and water my couch with my tears.
[12:1] How long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me unto the end? How long dost Thou turn away Thy face from me?
[12:4] Consider, and hear me, O Lord my God. Enlighten my eyes that I never sleep in death:
[38:5] O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me.
[30:2] In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in Thy justice.
[30:3] Bow down Thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be Thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
[27:2] Hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication, when I pray to Thee; when I lift up my hands to Thy holy temple.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Lord Healed Me!
[26:2] The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?
[15:8] I set the Lord always in my sight: for He is at my right hand, that I be not moved.
[15:10] Because Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell; nor wilt Thou give thy holy one to see corruption.
[4:2] When I called upon Him, the God of my justice heard me; when I was in distress, He enlarged me.
[33:5] I sought the Lord, and He heard me; and He delivered me from all my troubles.
[33:7] This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles.
[33:8] The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear Him: and shall deliver them.
[33:9] O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet! Blessed is the man that hopes in Him!
[3:5] I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and He hath heard me from His holy hill.
[29:11] The Lord hath heard, and hath had mercy on me: the Lord became my helper.
[3:6] I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me.
[6:10] The Lord hath heard my supplication: the Lord hath received my prayer.
[29:3] O Lord my God, I have cried to Thee, and Thou hast healed me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
[95:1] He that dwelleth in the aid of the most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Jacob.
[95:2] He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector, and my refuge: my God, in Him will I trust.
[95:3] For He hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters: and from the sharp word.
[95:4] He will overshadow thee with His shoulders: and under His wings thou shalt trust.
[95:5] His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night.
[95:6] Of the arrow that flieth in the day, of the business that walketh about in the dark: of invasion, or of the noonday devil.
[95:7] A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee.
[95:8] But thou shalt consider with thy eyes: and shalt see the reward of the wicked.
[95:9] Because Thou, O Lord, art my hope! Thou hast made the most High thy refuge.
[95:10] There shall no evil come to thee: nor shall the scourge come near thy dwelling.
[95:11] For He hath given His angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.
[95:12] In their hands they shall bear thee up: lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
[95:13] Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk: and thou shalt trample underfoot the lion and the dragon.
[95:14] Because he hoped in Me I will deliver him: I will protect him because he hath known My Name.
[95:15] He shall cry to Me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation, I will deliver him, and I will glorify him.
[95:16] I will fill him with length of days; and I will show him My salvation.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
EXTRACTS AND BLENDING OF PSALMS
My Strength is Dried-Up!
[37:2] Rebuke me not, O Lord, in Thy indignation; nor chastise me in Thy wrath.
[37:3] For Thy arrows are fastened in me: and Thy hand hath been strong upon me.
[37:4] There is no health in my flesh, because of Thy wrath: there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins.
[37:5] For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me.
[37:6] My sores are putrified and corrupted, because of my foolishness.
[37:7] I am become miserable, and am bowed down even to the end: I walked sorrowful all the day long.
[38:4] My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out.
[21:15] I am poured out like water; and all my bones are scattered! My heart is become like wax melting in the midst of my bowels!
[21:16] My strength is dried up like clay, and my tongue hath cleaved to my jaws: and Thou hast brought me down into the dust of death!
[30:23] I said in the excess of my mind: I am cast away from before Thy eyes. Therefore Thou hast heard the voice of my prayer, when I cried to Thee.
[29:10] What profit is there in my blood, whilst I go down to corruption? Shall dust confess to Thee, or declare Thy truth?
[38:11] Remove Thy scourges from me. The strength of Thy hand hath made me faint in rebukes:
[27:1] Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord: O my God, be not thou silent to me: lest Thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Let Me Not Sleep in Death!
[26:7] Hear, O Lord, my voice, with which I have cried to Thee! Have mercy on me and hear me!
[6:2] O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy indignation, nor chastise me in Thy wrath.
[6:3] Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak: heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
[6:4] And my soul is troubled exceedingly: but Thou, O Lord, how long?
[6:5] Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul: O save me for Thy mercy’s sake.
[6:6] For there is no one in death that is mindful of Thee: and who shall confess to Thee in Hell?
[6:7] I have labored in my groanings, every night I wash my bed and water my couch with my tears.
[12:1] How long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me unto the end? How long dost Thou turn away Thy face from me?
[12:4] Consider, and hear me, O Lord my God. Enlighten my eyes that I never sleep in death:
[38:5] O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me.
[30:2] In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in Thy justice.
[30:3] Bow down Thy ear to me: make haste to deliver me. Be Thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of refuge, to save me.
[27:2] Hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication, when I pray to Thee; when I lift up my hands to Thy holy temple.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Lord Healed Me!
[26:2] The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?
[15:8] I set the Lord always in my sight: for He is at my right hand, that I be not moved.
[15:10] Because Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell; nor wilt Thou give thy holy one to see corruption.
[4:2] When I called upon Him, the God of my justice heard me; when I was in distress, He enlarged me.
[33:5] I sought the Lord, and He heard me; and He delivered me from all my troubles.
[33:7] This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles.
[33:8] The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear Him: and shall deliver them.
[33:9] O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet! Blessed is the man that hopes in Him!
[3:5] I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and He hath heard me from His holy hill.
[29:11] The Lord hath heard, and hath had mercy on me: the Lord became my helper.
[3:6] I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me.
[6:10] The Lord hath heard my supplication: the Lord hath received my prayer.
[29:3] O Lord my God, I have cried to Thee, and Thou hast healed me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.