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WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 83752 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2025-05-08 23:40:11 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-05-08 23:40:11 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">On May 8, 2025, the Catholic Church elected its new pope, and for the first time in history, an American sits in the chair of St. Peter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A.&nbsp; was elected among his fellow brother cardinals to the papacy, taking the new Pope Leo XIV.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Get to know the new pontiff and learn how you can pray for and with him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pope-leo-xiv-early-life">Pope Leo XIV - Early Life</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to parents Louis and Millie.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">His father was an educator; his mother, a librarian. He and his two older brothers grew up heavily involved in their parish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Early on, he felt a calling to the priesthood.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“And, even as a young teenager, he knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to go,” <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/religion/2025/05/03/robert-prevost-pope-francis-conclave-catholic-church-dolton-saint-mary-assumption-parish">said a childhood friend</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">He attended St. Augustine Seminary High School in Philadelphia and later graduated from Villanova with a Bachelors of Science.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/OhyD7rKndTb">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pope-leo-xiv-s-religious-life">Pope Leo XIV’s Religious Life</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 1977, at 22, he entered the novitiate of the Order of St. Augustine (Augustinians) and later made his vows in 1981.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Before long, Pope Leo XIV began what would end up being a major hallmark of his time as a priest: service to the people of Peru.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Beginning in 1985, he worked as a missionary in Chulucanas, Peru, a small town in the northwestern part of the South American country. A few years later, he began a decade-long stint in Trujillo, Peru, a coastal city.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ever obedient to the assignments he was given, the then-Robert Francis Prevost returned to Chicago in 1999 and two years later became the Prior General of the Augustinians, the superior over the entire order.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2015, he returned to Peru after Pope Francis made him Bishop of Chiclayo, one of Peru’s largest cities, with more than a million people in the diocese. Pope Francis visited Peru in 2018 and spent time with Bishop Robert Francis Prevost. In 2023, Pope Francis called him to Rome to serve as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Now, he serves as the Bishop of Rome, responsible for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pope-leo-xiv-s-spirituality">Pope Leo XIV’s Spirituality</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope Leo XIV’s spirituality is shaped by the fact that he’s an Augustinian, following in the footsteps of St. Augustine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“We as Augustinians, again as a mendicant order, I think are called to live in a simple life at the service of others and in a special way to reach out to those who are poor, the poor in society today which includes of course those who are monetarily poor but there are many other kinds of poverty in today's world,” he said in an interview years ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">He also talks about how experiencing God must involve others. Experiencing God is not an individual activity.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“It's not just about me and my experience of God, either. You might have people say, ‘Well, I have an experience of God, and I don’t have to do anything else.’ Well then, that’s probably not an authentic experience of God, because as we know from the Gospels, as we know from the Apostolic letters, if you love God, you also need to be showing that by loving your neighbor, and the two go hand-in-hand,” he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da-mLQLrTwQ">said in a 2012 interview</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/OhyD7rKndTb">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pope-leo-the-name">Pope Leo: The Name</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope Leo XIV’s predecessor in name was Pope Leo XIII, pope from 1878 to 1903, one of the longest papacies in history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope Leo XIII is <a href="https://www.osvnews.com/who-was-pope-leo-xiii-the-father-of-social-doctrine/">considered</a> the “Father of Social Doctrine,” shaping the future of Catholic social teaching that followed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">He was also known as the “Pope of the Workers,” thanks to his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In choosing this name, Pope Leo XIV could be showing a commitment to the working class and the poor, consistent with the Augustinian charisms.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pope-leo-xiv-quotes">Pope Leo XIV Quotes</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Here are some inspirational quotes from Pope Leo XIV before he became pope:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“The bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom. But rather called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them, to suffer with them, and to look for ways that he can better live the Gospel message in the midst of his people.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“We are often preoccupied with teaching doctrine, the way of living our faith, but we risk forgetting that our first task is to teach what it means to know Jesus Christ and to bear witness to our closeness to the Lord. This comes first: to communicate the beauty of the faith, the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus. It means that we ourselves are living it and sharing this experience."</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“We can all be missionaries of the Gospel.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“The fundamental thing for every disciple of Christ is humility.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pope-leo-xiv-addresses-the-world-for-the-first-time">Pope Leo XIV Addresses The World for the First Time</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In his first Urbi et Orbi address as the Successor of Peter, Pope Leo XIV spoke of the love and peace that comes from God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarming and humble and preserving peace. It comes from God. God, who loves all of us, without any limits or conditions. Let us keep in our ears the weak but always brave voice of Pope Francis, who blessed Rome - the Pope who blessed Rome and the world that day on the morning of Easter.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Allow me to continue that same blessing. God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs His light. Humanity needs Him like a bridge to reach God and His love. You help us to build bridges with dialogue and encounter so we can all be one people always in peace.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Read his full address <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/pope-leo-xvi-peace-be-with-you-first-words.html">here</a> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/OhyD7rKndTb">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prayers-for-pope-leo-xiv">Prayers for Pope Leo XIV</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pray for Pope Leo XIV, or pray in the Augustinian tradition from which he comes, with some of these prayers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Holy Spirit Prayer of St. Augustine:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, To defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/st-rita-novena/">St. Rita Novena</a>. St. Rita was an Augustinian Nun who was canonize by Pope Leo XIII.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/st-monica-novena/">St. Monica Novena</a>. St. Monica, mother of Augustine, is a remarkable model of faith.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pray this simple prayer for Pope Leo XIV’s papacy:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Heavenly Father, You have entrusted Pope Leo XIV with Christ’s Church. Bless him, protect him, keep his heart soft amid the stresses and challenges he will undoubtedly face, so that he’s open to the Spirit guiding him–and all of us–towards the future of the Church, a future that sees us loving more deeply and treating those around us with greater charity, in the spirit of Augustine. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pray-for-the-new-pope-on-hallow">Pray for the New Pope on Hallow</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Join thousands of Catholics around the world in praying for the new pope on Hallow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Pope Leo XIV (former Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost): Get to Know the New Pope [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => pope-leo-xiv-cardinal-robert-francis-prevost [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-05-08 23:41:37 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-05-08 23:41:37 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=83752 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 3999 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2025-04-08 13:38:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-04-08 13:38:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Where, if not in the Divine Mercy, can the world find refuge and the light of hope?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Pope Saint John Paul II</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:image {"id":25334,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://hallow.app.link/u5H4n94Bupb"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Divine-Mercy-1920x960-v1-1024x512.png" alt="" class="wp-image-25334"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><meta charset="utf-8">The Divine Mercy Chaplet, also known as the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy, is a powerful prayer in which we ask for God’s mercy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#what-is-divine-mercy-chaplet">What is the Divine Mercy Chaplet? </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#why-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet">Why do we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet?</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#when-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet">When to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet?</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#How-to-Pray-the-Divine-Mercy-Chaplet">How to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#Related-prayers">Related prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is-divine-mercy-chaplet">What is the Divine Mercy Chaplet/Divine Mercy Novena?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Origin of the Chaplet&nbsp;</strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the 1930s, Jesus appeared to <a href="https://hallow.com/saints/faustina/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. Faustina Kowalska</a>, a humble and kind Polish nun, and revealed to her the depths of His mercy. St. Faustina entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925, but she passed away just thirteen years later from tuberculosis in 1938. Throughout her life of holiness, she continually received revelations from Jesus and diligently wrote down what He told her in her diary. St. Faustina was canonized by St. (Pope) John Paul II on April 30, 2000. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 1935, an angel appeared to St. Faustina, and she heard the call to pray for mercy. The next day, Christ appeared and urged her to pray the Chaplet herself and with others at the hour of death. She wrote down this revelation in her diary:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. When they say this Chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the Merciful Savior. Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this Chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy. Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>St. Faustina's Diary</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Divine Mercy Chaplet can be prayed with traditional <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">Rosary</a> beads, though to do so isn't necessary. The Chaplet only takes a few minutes, and thousands of Catholics around the world pray it every day to ask for God's mercy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="why-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet">Why do we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet/Divine Mercy Novena?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for mercy — in our own lives and in our neighbors, too. And we also pray to remind ourselves that we must rely on God; we must recognize our weakness and replace our anxieties and worries with abounding trust in God. We pray so that we might honestly live out the words "Jesus, I trust in You."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Those who sincerely say ‘Jesus, I trust in You’ will find comfort in all their anxieties and fears … There is nothing more man needs than Divine Mercy – that love which is benevolent, which is compassionate, which raises man above his weakness to the infinite heights to the holiness of God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Saint (Pope) John Paul II (Krakow, Poland - June 7, 1997)</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="when-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet">When to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You can pray the Chaplet at any time, but here are three times that are especially impactful when praying for God's mercy:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:columns --> <div class="wp-block-columns"><!-- wp:column {"width":"33.33%"} --> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:33.33%"><!-- wp:image {"id":8051,"width":"288px","height":"512px","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom","align":"center","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized"><a href="https://hallow.app.link/u5H4n94Bupb"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Copy-of-6-16-2021_story-8-copy-576x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-8051" style="width:288px;height:512px"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pray the Divine Mercy Novena (pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for nine days straight) with Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in The Chosen, on Hallow. </figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --></div> <!-- /wp:column --> <!-- wp:column {"width":"66.66%"} --> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:66.66%"><!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>After Mass</strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Divine Mercy is an intercessory prayer that extends the offering of the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/eucharist-holy-communion-adoration-prayer/">Eucharist</a>, so it is especially appropriate to use it after receiving Holy Communion at Mass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Before the Feast of Mercy</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Chaplet may be prayed at any time, but our Lord specifically told St. Faustina to recite it as a <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-novenas/">novena</a> during the nine days before the Feast of Mercy (the first Sunday after Easter). He then added: "By this Novena, [of Chaplets] I will grant every possible grace to souls." (St. Faustina's Diary, 796)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>At 3:00 </strong>p.m.</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">3:00 p.m. is known as the “hour of great mercy” in remembrance of Christ’s death on the cross at 3:00 p.m. on Good Friday. Similarly, people often pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/">Stations of the Cross </a>at this time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></div> <!-- /wp:column --></div> <!-- /wp:columns --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="How-to-Pray-the-Divine-Mercy-Chaplet"><strong>How to Pray</strong> the Divine Mercy Chaplet</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:yoast/how-to-block {"hasDuration":true,"minutes":"20","jsonDescription":"\u0026lt;meta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022\u003eUsing regular Rosary beads (or your ten fingers), follow this structure:","steps":[{"id":"how-to-step-1663344940083","name":["Begin with the sign of the cross. "],"text":[{"type":"em","props":{"children":["In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."]}}],"jsonName":"Begin with the sign of the cross. ","jsonText":"\u003cem\u003eIn the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.\u003c/em\u003e"},{"id":"how-to-step-1663344985079","name":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},"Prepare your heart and mind. "],"text":[{"type":"em","props":{"children":["You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. "]}}],"jsonName":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003ePrepare your heart and mind. ","jsonText":"\u003cem\u003eYou expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. \u003c/em\u003e"},{"id":"how-to-step-1663345077797","name":["Pray the prayer of St. Faustina. "],"text":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},"On each of the three small beads, pray: ",{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"em","props":{"children":["O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You! (x3)"]}}],"jsonName":"Pray the prayer of St. Faustina. ","jsonText":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003eOn each of the three small beads, pray: \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cem\u003eO Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You! (x3)\u003c/em\u003e"},{"id":"how-to-step-1663345192404","name":["Pray an Our Father."],"text":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"em","props":{"children":["Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen."]}}],"jsonName":"Pray an Our Father.","jsonText":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cem\u003eOur Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.\u003c/em\u003e"},{"id":"how-to-step-1663345224600","name":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},"Pray a",{"type":"strong","props":{"children":[" Hail Mary"]}},". "],"text":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"em","props":{"children":["Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen."]}}],"jsonName":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003ePray a\u003cstrong\u003e Hail Mary\u003c/strong\u003e. ","jsonText":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cem\u003eHail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.\u003c/em\u003e"},{"id":"how-to-step-1663345239468","name":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"strong","props":{"children":["Pray the Apostle’s Creed"]}},". "],"text":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"em","props":{"children":["I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://hallow.com/2022/09/14/prayer-to-the-holy-spirit-and-other-holy-spirit-prayers/","children":["Holy Spirit"]}},", born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen."]}}],"jsonName":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePray the Apostle’s Creed\u003c/strong\u003e. ","jsonText":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cem\u003eI believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the \u003ca href=\u0022https://hallow.com/2022/09/14/prayer-to-the-holy-spirit-and-other-holy-spirit-prayers/\u0022\u003eHoly Spirit\u003c/a\u003e, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.\u003c/em\u003e"},{"id":"how-to-step-1663345261637","name":["First decade"],"text":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"strong","props":{"children":["On the first large bead:"]}}," in the traditional Rosary prayer, we say the ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-our-father/","children":["Our Father"]}}," for each large bead. In the Divine Mercy Chaplet, we pray the following: ",{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"em","props":{"children":["Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world."]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"strong","props":{"children":["On the ten small beads: "]}},"In a traditional Rosary prayer, we pray the Hail Mary on each small bead. In the Divine Mercy Chaplet, we pray the following:",{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"em","props":{"children":["For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (x10)"]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}}],"jsonName":"First decade","jsonText":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn the first large bead:\u003c/strong\u003e in the traditional Rosary prayer, we say the \u003ca href=\u0022https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-our-father/\u0022\u003eOur Father\u003c/a\u003e for each large bead. In the Divine Mercy Chaplet, we pray the following: \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cem\u003eEternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn the ten small beads: \u003c/strong\u003eIn a traditional Rosary prayer, we pray the Hail Mary on each small bead. In the Divine Mercy Chaplet, we pray the following:\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cem\u003eFor the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (x10)\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e"},{"id":"how-to-step-1663345699877","name":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"strong","props":{"children":["Repeat this pattern f"]}},"our times. "],"text":["For each decade: begin with the ",{"type":"em","props":{"children":["\u0022Eternal Father\u0022 "]}},"prayer, and then pray, ",{"type":"em","props":{"children":["\u0022For the sake\u0022"]}}," ten times. "],"jsonName":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRepeat this pattern f\u003c/strong\u003eour times. ","jsonText":"For each decade: begin with the \u003cem\u003e\u0022Eternal Father\u0022 \u003c/em\u003eprayer, and then pray, \u003cem\u003e\u0022For the sake\u0022\u003c/em\u003e ten times. "},{"id":"how-to-step-1663345769448","name":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},"After five decades, pray for mercy. "],"text":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},"Repeat the following prayer three times: ",{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"em","props":{"children":["Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (x3)"]}}],"jsonName":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003eAfter five decades, pray for mercy. ","jsonText":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003eRepeat the following prayer three times: \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cem\u003eHoly God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (x3)\u003c/em\u003e"},{"id":"how-to-step-1663345944623","name":["Close your time in prayer. "],"text":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"em","props":{"children":["Let us pray: Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself."]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}}],"jsonName":"Close your time in prayer. ","jsonText":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cem\u003eLet us pray: Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e"},{"id":"how-to-step-1663345965525","name":["Conclude with the sign of the cross. "],"text":[{"type":"meta","props":{"charset":"utf-8","children":[]}},{"type":"em","props":{"children":["In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen."]}}],"jsonName":"Conclude with the sign of the cross. ","jsonText":"\u003cmeta charset=\u0022utf-8\u0022/\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.\u003c/em\u003e"}],"defaultDurationText":"Time needed:"} --> <div class="schema-how-to wp-block-yoast-how-to-block"><p class="schema-how-to-total-time"><span class="schema-how-to-duration-time-text">Time needed: </span>20 minutes. </p><p class="schema-how-to-description"><meta charset="utf-8">Using regular Rosary beads (or your ten fingers), follow this structure:</p> <ol class="schema-how-to-steps"><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663344940083"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name">Begin with the sign of the cross. </strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><em>In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</em></p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663344985079"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name"><meta charset="utf-8"/>Prepare your heart and mind. </strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><em>You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us. </em></p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663345077797"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name">Pray the prayer of St. Faustina. </strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><meta charset="utf-8"/>On each of the three small beads, pray: <br/><meta charset="utf-8"/><em>O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You! (x3)</em></p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663345192404"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name">Pray an Our Father.</strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><meta charset="utf-8"/><em>Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.</em></p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663345224600"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name"><meta charset="utf-8"/>Pray a<strong> Hail Mary</strong>. </strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><meta charset="utf-8"/><em>Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.</em></p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663345239468"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name"><meta charset="utf-8"/><strong>Pray the Apostle’s Creed</strong>. </strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><meta charset="utf-8"/><em>I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the <a href="https://hallow.com/2022/09/14/prayer-to-the-holy-spirit-and-other-holy-spirit-prayers/">Holy Spirit</a>, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into hell; on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.</em></p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663345261637"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name">First decade</strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><meta charset="utf-8"/><strong>On the first large bead:</strong> in the traditional Rosary prayer, we say the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-our-father/">Our Father</a> for each large bead. In the Divine Mercy Chaplet, we pray the following: <br/><br/><meta charset="utf-8"/><em>Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.</em><br/><br/><meta charset="utf-8"/><strong>On the ten small beads: </strong>In a traditional Rosary prayer, we pray the Hail Mary on each small bead. In the Divine Mercy Chaplet, we pray the following:<br/><br/><em>For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (x10)</em><br/></p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663345699877"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name"><meta charset="utf-8"/><strong>Repeat this pattern f</strong>our times. </strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text">For each decade: begin with the <em>"Eternal Father" </em>prayer, and then pray, <em>"For the sake"</em> ten times. </p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663345769448"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name"><meta charset="utf-8"/>After five decades, pray for mercy. </strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><meta charset="utf-8"/>Repeat the following prayer three times: <br/><br/><em>Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (x3)</em></p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663345944623"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name">Close your time in prayer. </strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><meta charset="utf-8"/><em>Let us pray: Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.</em><br/><br/></p> </li><li class="schema-how-to-step" id="how-to-step-1663345965525"><strong class="schema-how-to-step-name">Conclude with the sign of the cross. </strong> <p class="schema-how-to-step-text"><meta charset="utf-8"/><em>In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.</em></p> </li></ol></div> <!-- /wp:yoast/how-to-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">On Hallow, you can pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet (10, 12, and 14-minute options) or the Divine Mercy Novena led by Jonathan Roumie, the actor who plays Jesus in The Chosen, which consists of praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for nine consecutive days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You may also be interested in praying the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-litany-of-trust/">Litany of Trust</a>, written by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia of the Sisters of Life.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/u5H4n94Bupb">Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":8103,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://hallow.app.link/u5H4n94Bupb"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Copy-of-Copy-of-Night-Pray-Blog--1024x536.png" alt="" class="wp-image-8103"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We look forward to praying with you. May God’s mercy be with you.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="Related-prayers">Related prayers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-litany-of-humility/">How to Pray the Litany of Humility</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-hail-mary/">How to Pray the Hail Mary</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/7-sorrows/">How to Pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-mary-undoer-of-knots-novena/">How to Pray the Mary, Undoer of Knots Novena</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Divine Mercy Chaplet/Divine Mercy Novena: How to Pray [post_excerpt] => Pray for mercy with the prayer Jesus gave St. Faustina in 1935. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => how-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://hallow.com/2019/09/23/how-to-pray-the-rosary/ https://hallow.com/2020/05/01/how-to-pray-novenas/ https://hallow.com/2020/03/17/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/ https://hallow.com/2020/02/12/how-to-pray-our-father/ https://hallow.com/2022/01/19/how-to-pray-the-hail-mary/ https://hallow.com/2021/02/10/7-sorrows/ https://hallow.com/2021/08/03/how-to-pray-mary-undoer-of-knots-novena/ [post_modified] => 2025-04-15 20:39:01 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-04-15 20:39:01 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=3999 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 11136 [post_author] => 18 [post_date] => 2025-03-02 06:08:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-03-02 06:08:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ash-wednesday-2025-the-start-of-the-lenten-season">Ash Wednesday 2025: The start of the Lenten season</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><span style="font-size: revert; color: initial;">Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/lent-comes-to-reawaken-us-pope-francis/">Pope Francis</a></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Table of Contents</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#definition">What is Ash Wednesday? </a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Origin</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Is Ash Wednesday a Holy Day of Obligation? </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Do I need to be Catholic to receive ashes?</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#date">When is Ash Wednesday in 2025?</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#importance">Why is Ash Wednesday important? </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#receiving-ashes">Receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday</a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Where do the ashes come from? </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Where do the ashes go? </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>What do the ashes symbolize?</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Where to get ashes near you</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#fasting-rules">Fasting on Ash Wednesday</a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Why do Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday? </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Age requirement </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Meals</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#prayers">Ash Wednesday Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#observance">How else can I observe Ash Wednesday? </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="definition">What is Ash Wednesday?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2025, like in every year, Ash Wednesday is the first day of the liturgical season of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>. It always falls six and half weeks before Easter, beginning the Lenten season of preparation for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ash Wednesday this year takes on an even more somber tone due to the condition of Pope Francis. Christians around the world continue to pray for him as he battles his serious health issues that have kept him in critical condition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Last year on Ash Wednesday, Pope Francis <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eszhKqN25mU">presided over a liturgy</a> that included the distribution of ashes. The Vatican has already announced that Pope Francis will not lead any liturgies on Ash Wednesday in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Origin </h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ash Wednesday <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-02/ash-wednesday-commentary.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dates</a> back to the 11th century. Yet, the tradition of receiving ashes has even earlier roots — to the ancient Hebrew custom of clothing oneself in sackcloth and dusting oneself with ashes as a sign of penance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/ashwednesdayblog">Begin Lent with Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible does not explicitly detail this first day of Lent, but there are many instances of this repentant act in the Old Testament, such as <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+16%3A15&amp;version=NRSVCE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Job 16:15</a>, </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and have laid my strength in the dust.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><p><em>Job 16:15</em></p></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">and the New Testament, such as <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A13&amp;version=NRSVCE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Luke 10:13</a>:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><meta charset="utf-8">Luke 10:13</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Across many religious traditions, ashes signify the mortality of our human bodies. Genesis 3:19 tells us, </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:pullquote --> <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote><p>By the sweat of your face<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;you shall eat bread<br>until you return to the ground,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for out of it you were taken;<br>you are dust,<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and to dust you shall return.</p><cite>Genesis 3:19</cite></blockquote></figure> <!-- /wp:pullquote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"lent-embed"} --> <p class="lent-embed">In the early Christian Church, public <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-go-to-confession-the-sacrament-of-penance-reconciliation/">penance</a> for people who had sinned including wearing ashes and sackcloth. As the Church grew and evolved, this practice lessened. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This long tradition — of externally recognizing ourselves as sinners seeking <meta charset="utf-8"><a href="http://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/interior.aspx?sid=1210&amp;gid=609&amp;calcid=53508&amp;calpgid=61&amp;pgid=13299&amp;crid=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">renewal</a> with God — ultimately transformed into what we now know as Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-ash-wednesday-a-catholic-holy-day-of-obligation-in-2025">Is Ash Wednesday a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation in 2025?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ash Wednesday is <em>not</em> a <a href="https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/canon-law/complementary-norms/canon-1246" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Holy Day of Obligation</a> for Roman Catholics, yet receiving ashes is a universal practice among Christians to begin their Lenten journeys. Most Catholic parishes offer Ash Wednesday Mass, and in some places, it is possible to receive ashes without attending Mass. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Do I need to be Catholic to receive ashes?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="date" class="">You do not need to be Catholic to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday. Several other traditions within Christianity also share this act of repentance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-is-ash-wednesday-in-2025">When is Ash Wednesday in 2025?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="importance" class="">This year, Ash Wednesday falls on March 5, 2025. <strong>SEE MORE:</strong> <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/when-is-lent/">When is Lent in 2025?</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why is Ash Wednesday important? </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday awakens us to Jesus’ entry into the desert preceding his death. Before Easter, however, we must prepare our hearts for his Resurrection. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="receiving-ashes" class="">We begin our season of preparing our hearts for Easter by recognizing our brokenness and need for <a href="http://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/interior.aspx?sid=1210&amp;gid=609&amp;calcid=53508&amp;calpgid=61&amp;pgid=13299&amp;crid=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conversion, </a>a turning of our hearts to God. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":11185,"width":"675px","height":"482px","sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"none","align":"center","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/photo-1589395937646-cc70671eca60.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-11185" style="width:675px;height:482px"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Where do the ashes come from?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/palm-sunday/">Palm Sunday</a> is the Sunday before Easter. It symbolizes Christ’s return to Jerusalem after spending 40 days in the desert. In the Catholic tradition, we receive palm leaves, which have been blessed, to hold onto during Mass and bring home. The leftover palms from Palm Sunday are then burned and saved for the next Lenten season. So, this year’s ashes are from the palms of Palm Sunday of 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Where do the ashes go?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It is typical to receive ashes on your forehead in the Sign of the Cross. Similar to taking communion at Mass, you usually process toward the altar to get ashes. The priest will make the Sign of the Cross and say one of two things:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return."</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"Repent, and believe in the Gospel."</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">What do the ashes symbolize?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The ashes symbolize our mortality. They are a physical reminder that our bodies will decay, but our souls will live on in eternal life. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fr. Antony Kadavil further <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2018-02/ash-wednesday-commentary.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reflects</a> on the symbol of the cross of ashes on our foreheads, </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote" id="fasting-rules"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The cross of ashes means that we are making a commitment – that we are undertaking Lent as a season of prayer and penitence, of dying to ourselves. It also describes our human condition: it says that we are broken and need repair; that we are sinners and need redemption. Most importantly, it tells us that, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are to carry our crosses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><meta charset="utf-8">Fr. Antony Kadavil</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Where to get ashes nearby </strong></h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Most Catholic churches will expand their liturgical schedule on Ash Wednesday. There are many options for finding ashes on Ash Wednesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow has a full breakdown for <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/where-to-get-ashes-on-ash-wednesday/">where to get ashes</a> for Ash Wednesday in 2025, including an interactive map that can help you locate a church to receive ashes from.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/ashwednesdayblog">Pray more. Find peace. Get Hallow.</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fasting on Ash Wednesday</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There are only two obligatory days of fasting and abstinence in the Catholic Church: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Catholics are also instructed to abstain from meat on each Friday during Lent. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong> <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">What to Give Up for Lent</a> | <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-fasting-rules/">Lent Fasting Rules</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Why do Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fasting is a sign of repentance and helps us embody our spiritual hunger for Christ, who himself fasted in the desert for forty days preceding his death and Resurrection. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Age requirement</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Catholic Church <a href="https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/lent/catholic-information-on-lenten-fast-and-abstinence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">requires</a> able members from age 18 to 59 to fast on Ash Wednesday. The obligation to abstain from meat applies to those 14 and older. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Meals </h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="observance" class="">Fasting allows for one full meal and two smaller meals (that combined do not equal a full meal), with an expectation to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday. Exemptions are available for those with special physical needs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="prayers" class="">In certain situations, bishops can offer a formal dispensation, allowing Catholics to eat meat. This <a href="https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020/03/catholics-can-eat-meat-during-lent-nj-bishop-says-were-sacrificing-enough-for-coronavirus.html">happened</a> in some dioceses during the initial outbreak of Covid-19.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ash Wednesday Prayers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ash Wednesday, as the first day of Lent, is a great time to begin a renewed commitment to prayer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ash Wednesday prayers can include <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">saying the rosary</a>, the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-lectio-divina/">Lectio Divina</a> or beginning with <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent prayers</a> for 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How else can I observe Ash Wednesday?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In addition to fasting and attending Mass (or a service where ashes are distributed), you can recognize Ash Wednesday through prayer and almsgiving—the other two pillars of Lenten observance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In prayer, consider listening to the Daily Gospel or engaging in Spiritual Writing to discern what you’d like to focus on in your relationship with Christ this Lent. If you’re not sure where to start, we guide you through both of these prayer methods, in addition to many others, on Hallow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Updated on March 2, 2025</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator {"opacity":"css"} --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity"/> <!-- /wp:separator --> [post_title] => Ash Wednesday 2025 - The First Day of Lent [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => ash-wednesday [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://hallow.com/2021/02/15/ashtag2021/ https://hallow.com/2019/09/23/how-to-pray-the-rosary/ https://hallow.com/2022/02/05/lent-prayers/ [post_modified] => 2025-03-03 01:02:13 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-03-03 01:02:13 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=11136 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 31186 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2025-03-02 01:53:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-03-02 01:53:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Along with prayer and almsgiving, fasting is one of the three pillars of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In a <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages/lent/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20071030_lent-2008.html">message for Lent in 2008</a>, Pope Benedict XVI described these as “specific tasks that accompany the faithful concretely in this process of interior renewal.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">A decade earlier, <a href="https://hallow.com/saints/john-paul-ii/">St. (Pope) John Paul II</a> described Lent as a “commitment to a new life, inspired by Gospel values,” moving away from selfishness and drawing closer to the path Christ.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"lent-embed"} --> <p class="lent-embed">That path, according to Pope John Paul II, can be summarized in the words of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, with fasting consisting of moderation in food and lifestyle as “a sincere effort to remove from our hearts all that is the result of sin and inclines us to evil.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Prayer and almsgiving may be easier to fully grasp than fasting, for which the Church has provided specific rules and guidelines to help shape our Lenten journey towards renewal. In 2025, Hallow’s <a href="https://hallow.com/pray40/">Pray40</a> Lent prayer challenge focuses on prayer, fasting and almsgiving.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Here’s an overview of common questions about Lent fasting rules to guide your observance in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lent-fasting-rules-frequently-asked-questions">Lent Fasting Rules: Frequently Asked Questions</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:yoast/faq-block {"questions":[{"id":"faq-question-1675558433476","question":["What Is Fasting?"],"answer":["In the Catholic Church, fasting is a practice in self-discipline with a penitential focus. In the context of Lent, it refers to reducing food intake and limiting how many meals we have."],"jsonQuestion":"What Is Fasting?","jsonAnswer":"In the Catholic Church, fasting is a practice in self-discipline with a penitential focus. In the context of Lent, it refers to reducing food intake and limiting how many meals we have."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558441583","question":["What are the Lent fasting rules?"],"answer":["On ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/","children":["Ash Wednesday"]}}," and ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://hallow.com/blog/good-friday-the-passion-of-christ/","children":["Good Friday"]}},", fasting rules allow Catholics to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals which, combined, would not equal a single normal meal. Additionally, Catholics may not eat meat on these two days–or on any Friday during Lent."],"jsonQuestion":"What are the Lent fasting rules?","jsonAnswer":"On \u003ca href=\u0022https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/\u0022\u003eAsh Wednesday\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\u0022https://hallow.com/blog/good-friday-the-passion-of-christ/\u0022\u003eGood Friday\u003c/a\u003e, fasting rules allow Catholics to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals which, combined, would not equal a single normal meal. Additionally, Catholics may not eat meat on these two days–or on any Friday during Lent."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558449152","question":["What are the Lent rules on abstinence?"],"answer":["In this context, abstinence refers to “abstaining” from meat on Fridays during Lent. Whereas Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with just one large meal, Catholics must refrain from eating meat on other Fridays, though they can have three full meals."],"jsonQuestion":"What are the Lent rules on abstinence?","jsonAnswer":"In this context, abstinence refers to “abstaining” from meat on Fridays during Lent. Whereas Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with just one large meal, Catholics must refrain from eating meat on other Fridays, though they can have three full meals."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558459616","question":["At what age do you start fasting for Lent?"],"answer":["Those ages 18-59, in reasonable health, are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those 14 and older must abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Canon Law does mention that for young children not fasting, parents should still communicate the meaning and penance."],"jsonQuestion":"At what age do you start fasting for Lent?","jsonAnswer":"Those ages 18-59, in reasonable health, are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those 14 and older must abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Canon Law does mention that for young children not fasting, parents should still communicate the meaning and penance."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558478338","question":["Who is exempt from fasting during Lent?"],"answer":["Children, adults with physical and mental illness, pregnant women and those nursing are all exempt. The USCCB stresses that “common sense should prevail” and that no one should jeopardize their health to fast."],"jsonQuestion":"Who is exempt from fasting during Lent?","jsonAnswer":"Children, adults with physical and mental illness, pregnant women and those nursing are all exempt. The USCCB stresses that “common sense should prevail” and that no one should jeopardize their health to fast."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558495217","question":["When is fasting over?"],"answer":["Lent ends on Holy Thursday, but Lenten fasting (and personal commitments) usually continues until Easter. Papal document ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/preparation-and-celebration-of-the-easter-feasts-2169","children":["Paschalis Solemnitatis"]}}," recommends this in order that we “with uplifted and welcoming heart be ready to celebrate the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection.”"],"jsonQuestion":"When is fasting over?","jsonAnswer":"Lent ends on Holy Thursday, but Lenten fasting (and personal commitments) usually continues until Easter. Papal document \u003ca href=\u0022https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/preparation-and-celebration-of-the-easter-feasts-2169\u0022\u003ePaschalis Solemnitatis\u003c/a\u003e recommends this in order that we “with uplifted and welcoming heart be ready to celebrate the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection.”"},{"id":"faq-question-1675558511688","question":["Can you eat meat on Good Friday?"],"answer":["On the one hand, Good Friday is part of the ",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/","children":["Easter Triduum"]}},", which marks the end of Lent. However, since Good Friday itself is a day of abstinence, it’s best to abstain from meat, as in the Fridays of Lent. "],"jsonQuestion":"Can you eat meat on Good Friday?","jsonAnswer":"On the one hand, Good Friday is part of the \u003ca href=\u0022https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/\u0022\u003eEaster Triduum\u003c/a\u003e, which marks the end of Lent. However, since Good Friday itself is a day of abstinence, it’s best to abstain from meat, as in the Fridays of Lent. "},{"id":"faq-question-1675558535376","question":["Do Sundays count for fasting?"],"answer":["It’s been a custom for Catholics to give something up during Lent, in addition to the fastings and abstinence rules. Some keep their sacrifice continuously, but Sundays during Lent are not “prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.” Ultimately, it’s a personal decision."],"jsonQuestion":"Do Sundays count for fasting?","jsonAnswer":"It’s been a custom for Catholics to give something up during Lent, in addition to the fastings and abstinence rules. Some keep their sacrifice continuously, but Sundays during Lent are not “prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.” Ultimately, it’s a personal decision."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558558032","question":["Are fish frys OK?"],"answer":["Since serves fish instead of meat, your local church fish fry is a fine option for Fridays during Lent. Because the Lent season is one rooted in penance, a modest meal at your parish is probably a better option than a lavish seafood feast at a fine restaurant. "],"jsonQuestion":"Are fish frys OK?","jsonAnswer":"Since serves fish instead of meat, your local church fish fry is a fine option for Fridays during Lent. Because the Lent season is one rooted in penance, a modest meal at your parish is probably a better option than a lavish seafood feast at a fine restaurant. "},{"id":"faq-question-1675558576655","question":["Does “abstinence” apply to sex? Do Catholics need to abstain from sex during Lent?"],"answer":["No. Abstinence refers to food. ",{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"br","props":{"children":[]}},{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-25-me-35840-story.html","children":["Some parish birth records"]}}," from the Middle Ages show that births declined nine months after Lent and rose nine months after Easter, so there may be some historical precedent for the practice."],"jsonQuestion":"Does “abstinence” apply to sex? Do Catholics need to abstain from sex during Lent?","jsonAnswer":"No. Abstinence refers to food. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003ca href=\u0022https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-25-me-35840-story.html\u0022\u003eSome parish birth records\u003c/a\u003e from the Middle Ages show that births declined nine months after Lent and rose nine months after Easter, so there may be some historical precedent for the practice."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558599376","question":["What can you drink on Ash Wednesday? What are the fasting rules around liquids like coffee?"],"answer":["Normal rules around fasting before receiving Communion (abstaining from food an hour before Mass) apply during Lent. Outside of that, there are no specific rules around liquids, so coffee, tea and soda are fine. A smoothie that constitutes a meal would probably count as food."],"jsonQuestion":"What can you drink on Ash Wednesday? What are the fasting rules around liquids like coffee?","jsonAnswer":"Normal rules around fasting before receiving Communion (abstaining from food an hour before Mass) apply during Lent. Outside of that, there are no specific rules around liquids, so coffee, tea and soda are fine. A smoothie that constitutes a meal would probably count as food."},{"id":"faq-question-1675558619663","question":["What are the fasting rules around alcohol? "],"answer":["The Church does not specifically limit alcohol. A person’s personal discretion is best. "],"jsonQuestion":"What are the fasting rules around alcohol? ","jsonAnswer":"The Church does not specifically limit alcohol. A person’s personal discretion is best. "}]} --> <div class="schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block"><div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558433476"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What Is Fasting?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">In the Catholic Church, fasting is a practice in self-discipline with a penitential focus. In the context of Lent, it refers to reducing food intake and limiting how many meals we have.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558441583"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What are the Lent fasting rules?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">On <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/">Ash Wednesday</a> and <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/good-friday-the-passion-of-christ/">Good Friday</a>, fasting rules allow Catholics to eat only one full meal and two smaller meals which, combined, would not equal a single normal meal. Additionally, Catholics may not eat meat on these two days–or on any Friday during Lent.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558449152"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What are the Lent rules on abstinence?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">In this context, abstinence refers to “abstaining” from meat on Fridays during Lent. Whereas Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with just one large meal, Catholics must refrain from eating meat on other Fridays, though they can have three full meals.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558459616"><strong class="schema-faq-question">At what age do you start fasting for Lent?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Those ages 18-59, in reasonable health, are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Those 14 and older must abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent. Canon Law does mention that for young children not fasting, parents should still communicate the meaning and penance.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558478338"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Who is exempt from fasting during Lent?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Children, adults with physical and mental illness, pregnant women and those nursing are all exempt. The USCCB stresses that “common sense should prevail” and that no one should jeopardize their health to fast.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558495217"><strong class="schema-faq-question">When is fasting over?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Lent ends on Holy Thursday, but Lenten fasting (and personal commitments) usually continues until Easter. Papal document <a href="https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/preparation-and-celebration-of-the-easter-feasts-2169">Paschalis Solemnitatis</a> recommends this in order that we “with uplifted and welcoming heart be ready to celebrate the joys of the Sunday of the resurrection.”</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558511688"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Can you eat meat on Good Friday?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">On the one hand, Good Friday is part of the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/">Easter Triduum</a>, which marks the end of Lent. However, since Good Friday itself is a day of abstinence, it’s best to abstain from meat, as in the Fridays of Lent. </p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558535376"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Do Sundays count for fasting?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">It’s been a custom for Catholics to give something up during Lent, in addition to the fastings and abstinence rules. Some keep their sacrifice continuously, but Sundays during Lent are not “prescribed days of fasting and abstinence.” Ultimately, it’s a personal decision.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558558032"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Are fish frys OK?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Since serves fish instead of meat, your local church fish fry is a fine option for Fridays during Lent. Because the Lent season is one rooted in penance, a modest meal at your parish is probably a better option than a lavish seafood feast at a fine restaurant. </p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558576655"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Does “abstinence” apply to sex? Do Catholics need to abstain from sex during Lent?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">No. Abstinence refers to food. <br/><br/><a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-25-me-35840-story.html">Some parish birth records</a> from the Middle Ages show that births declined nine months after Lent and rose nine months after Easter, so there may be some historical precedent for the practice.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558599376"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What can you drink on Ash Wednesday? What are the fasting rules around liquids like coffee?</strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Normal rules around fasting before receiving Communion (abstaining from food an hour before Mass) apply during Lent. Outside of that, there are no specific rules around liquids, so coffee, tea and soda are fine. A smoothie that constitutes a meal would probably count as food.</p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1675558619663"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What are the fasting rules around alcohol? </strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">The Church does not specifically limit alcohol. A person’s personal discretion is best. </p> </div> </div> <!-- /wp:yoast/faq-block --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/lentfastingrules">Pray and Fast with Hallow this Lent</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-helpful-lent-resources"><strong>More Helpful Lent Resources</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/what-to-give-up-for-lent/">What to Give Up for Lent</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/where-to-get-ashes-on-ash-wednesday/">Where to Get Ashes on Ash Wednesday</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">How to Pray the Rosary</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/holy-week-schedule/">Holy Week Guide</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Lent Fasting Rules: Catholic Rules for Fasting During Lent in 2025 [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => lent-fasting-rules [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-03-03 01:09:23 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-03-03 01:09:23 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=31186 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 17160 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2025-03-01 03:32:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-03-01 03:32:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-table-of-contents-things-to-give-up-for-lent"><strong>Table of Contents</strong>: Things to Give Up for Lent</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#intro">Introduction</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#prayer-fasting-almsgiving">Lent's 3 Pillars: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#kids-fasting">Fasting Ideas for Kids/Teens</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#adult-fasting">Fasting Ideas for Adults</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#kids-prayers">Prayer Ideas for Kids/Teens</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#adult-prayers">Prayer Ideas for Adults</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#almsgiving-ideas">Almsgiving/Donation Ideas for Kids and Adults</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#catholic-charities">Catholic-Affiliated Charities</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="intro" class="">When <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/ash-wednesday/">Ash Wednesday</a> draws near, Catholics and other Christians seem to fall into two distinct groups when it comes to what to give up for <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The first group takes it down to the wire: Tuesday night, continuing an internal dialogue trying to figure out what Lenten sacrifice to make. It’s a conversation they have every year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">And it may includes lines you’ve said yourself in past years:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“I never know what to give up for Lent!”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The second group is dialed in on the start of Lent, ready to activate “Lent autopilot” and prepare to give up the same thing as last year. And two years ago. And <em>every</em> year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lent is more than just “giving something up” and <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-fasting-rules/">fasting</a> from meat on Fridays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"lent-embed"} --> <p class="lent-embed">In fact, Pope Francis challenges us to think about fasting as something more powerful than we normally consider it, <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/02/26/190226d.html">describing it</a> as “learning to change our attitude towards others and all of creation, turning away from the temptation to ‘devour’ everything to satisfy our voracity and being ready to suffer for love, which can fill the emptiness of our hearts.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">How often do we get caught up in our own wants and needs, lose sight of the heart of the matter, and fail to embrace the true meaning of our lives in this world! Lent is a time of truth, a time to drop the masks we put on each day to appear perfect in the eyes of the world.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2023/documents/20230222-omelia-ceneri.html">Pope Francis - Ash Wednesday homily in 2023</a></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">However, Lent can be an unhealthy time for those who struggle with scrupulosity, or it can be overwhelming to people who are already in a time of suffering. For some, the best Lent might be to make sure they get at least 7 hours of sleep or making the commitment to attend therapy.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">At the start of Lent, we should ask ourselves - what pulls me away from loving God, loving others, and loving myself well? How can I incorporate acts of sacrifice, acts of giving, and acts of prayer that will help me love as God loves?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Giving thought to observing Lent is important. Whether you wait until the last minute to decide or you’ve known your Lenten sacrifice since <em>last</em> Lent, it’s worth spending time to thoughtfully consider how to make the most of your experience this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Because observing Lent is so much bigger than what you “give up.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/whattogiveupforlent">Commit to Prayer this Lent. Start Praying with Hallow.</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="prayer-fasting-almsgiving">Lent’s 3 Pillars: Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When we hunger–whether it be for food, technology, comfort–it can be a reminder that Jesus is the bread of life.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>John 6:35</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When we sacrifice things that this world tells us we need, it can remind us that only God can truly satisfy our spiritual hunger.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lent’s three pillars are prayer, fasting and almsgiving–meaning that we’re called to do more than just abstain from a particular food or activity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It involves not only what we’re willing to give up, but what we’re willing to take on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When we think about what to give up for Lent, we ought to also think about what sort of commitment to prayer and ability to be charitable that we can hold ourselves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow provides numerous options for stepping up prayer during Lent. In the app, Hallow offers:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Daily Gospel reflections</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Daily Rosary prayers</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Daily Saint prayers</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-night-prayer/">Night Prayer</a> from Liturgy of the Hours</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">All of these options can help us commit to prayer during Lent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In addition to fasting and prayer, almsgiving is equally important during Lent, helping us deepen our relationship with God while working to build God’s kingdom here on earth.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope Francis sums up the powerful impact that almsgiving has:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"Charitable giving makes us more human, whereas hoarding risks making us less human, imprisoned by our own selfishness" </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/documents/papa-francesco_20191007_messaggio-quaresima2020.html">Pope Francis, Lent Message 2020</a></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Anyone can practice almsgiving, which is not limited to simply donating money.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Rather, practicing almsgiving can also mean donating one’s time in service, perhaps volunteering or serving those in need. Jesus tells us clearly in Matthew 25:40 that in serving those in need, we are serving him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez recognizes, there are unique spiritual gifts to directly encountering Christ in those around us in need that we can’t experience by simply making a donation from afar.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“So you say you love the poor? Name them.” - Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ideas for What to Give Up for Lent</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">With the three pillars of Lent in mind, Hallow has suggestions for meaningful ways to observe Lent in 2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lent Fasting Ideas</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="kids-fasting" class=""><strong>Kids / Teen Fasting Ideas </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up a favorite toy or game&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Fast from social media for a day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up a favorite snack</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Drink only water at school&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up a favorite chair at home or seat at school</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Go without headphones/air pods for a day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Play your favorite game, focusing on helping others instead of winning</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Allow others to pass in front of you in the lunch line&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="adult-fasting" class=""><strong>General Ideas for Lenten Sacrifices</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up coffee (or only brew it at home)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up alcohol</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up certain social media sites, or limited them to certain days/time of day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give up electronics after a certain time in the day (i.e., no screens after 8 p.m.)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Sleep without a pillow</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Wake up without hitting the snooze button</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Shower without hot (with only lukewarm) water</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Keep the thermostat several degrees cooler&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Park in the back of the parking lot and say a prayer as you walk to the grocery store</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Abstain from reading gossip/rumor sites&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lent Prayer Ideas</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="kids-prayers" class=""><strong>Kids/Teen Prayer Ideas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pray on the way to school</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Play Guess the Saint each day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pick a relative each day and pray for that person&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Call a grandparent after church and discuss the Gospel/homily</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Go to bed five minutes early and spend extra time talking with God&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Research the name of your church and learn about its origins</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pay special attention to the intercessions at Mass and choose one to pray for during the week</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Explore <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-with-kids/">Hallow Kids</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Go to confession</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Research organizations that support Catholic youth like <a href="https://lifeteen.com/">LifeTeen</a> and <a href="https://nfcym.org/">National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="adult-prayers" class=""><strong>Adult Prayer Ideas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Subscribe to a daily prayer newsletter (<a href="http://faith.nd.edu/s/1210/faith/interior.aspx?pgid=9441&amp;gid=609&amp;cid=21893">Notre Dame</a> and the <a href="https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/tNwi9GA">Jesuits</a> both offer good options)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Each morning, scroll through the contacts on your phone. Randomly stop and say a prayer for whichever person you land on</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Spend a few minutes with Scripture each day&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Start the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/bible-in-a-year-with-father-mike-schmitz/">Bible in Year podcast</a> with Fr. Mike Schmitz on Hallow</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Attend daily Mass once a week</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Attend or pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/">Stations of the Cross</a> every Friday&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Invite a friend to attend Mass with you&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Join the Bible study group at church</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Attend Adoration of the Eucharist</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Go to confession</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">Rosary</a> once a day</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-examen/">Daily Examen</a> on Hallow</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Join Hallow’s <a href="https://hallow.com/pray40/">#Pray40 Lent Challenge</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="almsgiving-ideas">Lent Almsgiving/Charity/Donation Ideas</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Kids/Teens/General Almsgiving Ideas</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Spend time volunteering as a family</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Allow kids to be the one to place money in the basket during the offertory at Mass</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Introduce children to a charity and explain to them how and why to donate to it&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Have children identify a toy they are willing to donate to Goodwill</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Help children identify an article of clothing they can donate and explain that their donation can be a blessing to someone in need</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Create a jar to collect change to donate</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Donate food to a food bank</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Donate a service (free homework tutoring, free professional assistance, etc)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Give a smile to someone you pass who may be living on the street (instead of ignoring them)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Follow new charities on social media and engage with their posts&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Support a business that advertises in your parish bulletin&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="catholic-charities">Catholic-Affiliated Charities to Consider Donating to</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://crosscatholic.org/">Cross Catholic</a></strong> - Supports clean water initiatives in some of Africa’s poorest communities.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.catholicextension.org/">Catholic Extension</a></strong> - Works in solidarity with people in America’s poorest regions to build up strong Catholic faith communities.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.crs.org/">Catholic Relief Services</a></strong> - Carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="http://www.gabrielproject.org/"><strong>Gabriel Project</strong> </a>- Offers hope and assistance to any woman experiencing a crisis pregnancy.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.ncea.org/">National Catholic Educational Association</a></strong> - Strengthens Catholic school leaders and educators to help support the future of Catholic education.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.marysmeals.org/">Mary’s Meals</a></strong> - Provides meals to children in poverty, in recognition of Mary raising Jesus in poverty.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.kofc.org/en//index.html">Knights of Columbus</a></strong> - Fraternal service order of Catholic men that has been active since 1882.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><strong><a href="https://www.youngcatholicprofessionals.org/cpages/home">Young Catholic Professionals</a></strong> - Inspires and empowers young professional Catholics to work in witness for Christ.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/whattogiveupforlent">Pray with Hallow on Lent</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>MORE:</strong> <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-prayers/">Lent Prayers for 2025</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => What to Give Up For Lent in 2025: Practical Fasting Ideas for Lent [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => what-to-give-up-for-lent [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://hallow.com/2022/02/06/ash-wednesday/ https://hallow.com/2020/03/17/how-to-pray-stations-of-the-cross/ https://hallow.com/2020/05/20/how-to-pray-with-kids/ [post_modified] => 2025-03-03 01:19:06 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-03-03 01:19:06 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=17160 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 77665 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2025-02-21 03:02:48 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-02-21 03:02:48 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fasting and prayer have a strong connection, particularly during the season of Lent. Along with almsgiving (charity), fasting and prayer make up the pillars of <a href="https://hallow.com/lent/">Lent</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Ultimately, Christians seek to fast from sin; prayer and building our relationship with God, can also help us fast from a life of sin.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There are standard <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/lent-fasting-rules/">Lent fasting rules</a> that Catholics follow, but many people fast during other liturgical seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">While different diets have become popular in recent years, fasting is a spiritual practice, not a dietary one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":"lent-embed"} --> <p class="lent-embed">“Christian fasting is not concerned with losing weight,” <a href="https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year-and-calendar/lent/catholic-reflection-on-lenten-fasting">said Rev. Daniel Merz on the USCCB website</a>. “It is a matter of prayer and the spirit. And because of that, because it is truly a place of the spirit, true fasting may well lead to temptation, and weakness and doubt and irritation.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Perhaps Pope John Paul II said it best.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Furthermore, fasting, that is, the mortification of the senses, mastery of the&nbsp; body, confer on prayer a greater efficacy, which man discovers in himself. He discovers, in fact, that he is "different", that he is more "master of himself", that he has become interiorly free,”<a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/audiences/1979/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_19790321.html"> said Pope John Paul II</a>. “And he realizes this in as much as conversion and the meeting with God, through prayer, bear fruit in him.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Below are some prayers written by Hallow to help aid your spiritual journey of fasting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="http://Prayers to pray while fasting.">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prayers-for-fasting-at-the-start-of-lent-nbsp">Prayers for Fasting at the start of Lent&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lord, may my small sacrifice open a space in my heart for You to fill. As I begin this Lenten journey, give me strength to be consistent in my fasting as I give up (name what you are giving up for Lent). May I think of Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice, to strengthen me in the days ahead. In His name I pray. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Heavenly Father, on Ash Wednesday, we are reminded “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” May I be filled with the spirit of humility as I embark upon my Lenten sacrifice. As I fast from food and (name what you are giving up for Lent), I pray that this small sacrifice reminds me that You are in control. May it help me trust in You more, reminding me that You offer us true food and true drink–and the promise of heaven. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prayers-for-fasting-from-food">Prayers for Fasting from Food</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">God of all creation, I come before you today in solidarity with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are fasting today. I pray that as my hunger increases, so may my faith. As my diet lessens, so may my doubt in You. As my body aches for its next meal, may my soul long even more intensely to be filled with Your spirit. You are all I need. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lord, as I fast today, I pray that you lift up my brothers and sisters who will go hungry today and who struggle to eat on most days. In my own fasting, strengthen me to serve my brothers and sisters. May my fasting make me better appreciate what I have and renew my commitment to feeding the hungry. In Your name I pray. Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">God, may my fasting unite me with You. May my fasting help me surrender myself, my day, and my life to You. May the sacrifice I’m making not fill me with pride, but instead, humility and a greater dependence on You. I love You, Lord. Be with me now and always. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-general-fasting-prayer-for-any-time">General Fasting Prayer for Any Time</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lord, in my fasting, may I detach from the comforts, sins and temptations of this world and unite myself to Christ. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="http://Prayers to pray while fasting.">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fasting-in-the-bible">Fasting in the Bible</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The roots of fasting date back to the Bible and trace all the way through the Old and New Testaments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We hear of the merits of fasting early on in the book of Tobit:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"Prayer with fasting is good. Almsgiving with righteousness is better than wealth with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold, for almsgiving saves from death, and purges all sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life, but those who commit sin and do evil are their own worst enemies." (Tobit 12: 8-10)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Isaiah also mentions fasting extensively:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke? Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard." (Isaiah 58:6-8)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The clearest example of fasting in the Bible, however, comes from Jesus and His fasting in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." (Luke 4:1-2)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Early Christians practiced fasting, and it’s been a constant practice in the Church ever since.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God’s ear to yourself” - <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages/lent/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20081211_lent-2009.html">St. Peter Chrysologus </a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-resources-from-hallow">More Resources from Hallow</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/what-to-give-up-for-lent/">What to Give Up for Lent</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-strength/">Prayers for Strength</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Prayers for Fasting: Fasting Prayers for Lent and Other Times [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => prayers-for-fasting [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-03-05 03:27:36 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-03-05 03:27:36 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=77665 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 74519 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2025-01-09 15:12:47 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-01-09 15:12:47 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2024, Hallow’s <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/pray25/">Pray25</a> Advent prayer challenge focused on perhaps the most famous Bible verse of all: John 3:16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The simple first reminds us of the depths of God’s love for us–giving us His only Son, knowing the life He was leading Him to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pray25 also featured the Litany of Let Love throughout the 25 days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Litany of Let Love is written by Sr. Agnus Dei of the <a href="https://sistersoflife.org/">Sisters of Life</a>. In one Pray25 session, Sr. Agnus Dei mentioned that this litany came to life after she and a few of her fellow Sisters were praying and reflecting on the gift of the charism of life. It draws from the mantra "Give God permission."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Praying the Litany of Let Love helps us to invite God into our lives and to allow His love to transform us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Like other litanies, like the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-litany-of-trust/">Litany of Trust</a> or <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-litany-of-humility/">Litany of Humility</a>, the Litany of Let Love takes a bit of a call-and-answer form, repeating simple prayers and phrases, lifting up a number of intentions in the process.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Litany of Let Love invites us to meditate on the boundless love that God has for us</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-litany-of-let-love-full-text">Litany of Let Love - Full Text</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Father, good and ever-faithful.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jesus, Savior ever-merciful.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Holy Spirit, well-spring of true life and love.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">I give You permission.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Reign in my heart, mind, soul, and life.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Let Your Love come into my past, present, and future.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Let Your Love unfold in me.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love reveal who I am,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>God, in Whose Image I’ve been made, Father me.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love define me,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>God, in Whose Likeness I’ve been formed, shape me.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love with courage and hope,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>God, to Whose glory I’ve been called, be my strength.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love forgive me,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Save me Lord Jesus.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love love me to the depths of my being,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Save me Lord Jesus.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love heal and glorify my wounds,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Save me Lord Jesus.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love free me from sin,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Save me Lord Jesus.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love liberate me from all my fears,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Save me Lord Jesus.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love reconcile me to wholeness and peace,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Save me Lord Jesus.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love awaken me,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love lead me in every moment,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love challenge me to live in and for love,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love grow my mind, heart, and soul,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love draw me to live in the truth,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love transform me into the life of Christ,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love fill me to overflowing,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love captivate my heart,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love live in me,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love inspire me,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Come Holy Spirit</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">~~~</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love cherish me,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Father, hold me in Your Heart.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love receive me,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Jesus, keep me in your wounds.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love be my rock and security,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Spirit, keep me in your peace.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love ask from me,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Let Your will be done Father.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love in,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Let Your Will be done Father.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love live in me,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Let Your Will be done Father.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love go,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Let Your Will be done Father.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love give,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Let Your Will be done Father.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love speak,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Let Your will be done Father.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That I Let Love call my name,&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Let Your will be done Father.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">To learn more about Sr. Agnus Dei, see her <a href="https://sistersoflife.org/2019/01/01/vocation-story-smad/">vocation story</a> on the Sisters of Life website or check out her interview with the <a href="https://portlanddiocese.org/news/living-love-story">Diocese of Portland</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/litanyofletlove">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-pray-the-litany-of-let-love">How to Pray the Litany of Let Love</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You can pray the Litany of Let Love the same way you'd pray other litanies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">On Hallow, the leader reads the intention (non-bolded text above) and everyone praying responds with the bolded text.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">During Pray25, the prayer guide would say, for example, "That I let love cherish me.." and those praying would respond with "Father, hold me in Your heart."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If you're praying this by yourself, simply read (aloud or in your head) the first part, and pray (again, silently or out loud) the response.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-litanies">More Litanies</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If you enjoy the format of the Litany of Let Love, consider exploring other litanies to enrich your prayer life.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Other popular litany prayers include the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-litany-of-st-joseph/">Litany of St. Joseph</a>, the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/litany-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-litany-of-loreto/">Litany of Loreto</a>, and the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/pray-the-litany-for-life/">Litany for Life</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Inside of the Hallow app, other litanies to pray include the Litany for the Dead, Litany of the Saints and Litany for Priests–and many others.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Litany of Let Love: How to Pray [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => litany-of-let-love [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-01-09 15:14:40 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-01-09 15:14:40 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=74519 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 74437 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2025-01-08 16:12:41 [post_date_gmt] => 2025-01-08 16:12:41 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Any student who’s sat down to take a test knows that the final few moments before an exam begins can be incredibly stressful.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Did I actually study enough?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Do I know the material as well as I think I do?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Did I prepare for the right questions?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Self-doubt and anxiousness creep into the minds of even the brightest and most gifted students, especially since it feels like future success hinges entirely on the outcome of this single test.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Luckily, God offers us peace in stressful times, and spending time in prayer before an exam can help remind us of a larger reality: that God loves us, and loving Him and sharing that love with others is far more important than our GPA, what school we get into or what job title we have.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Here are a few prayers to pray before exams to help us feel peace, security, and love from our God, who loves us more than we can comprehend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simple-prayers-before-a-test-or-exam">Simple Prayers Before a Test or Exam</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Say one of these simple prayers any time before you sit down for a test or exam:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>Heavenly Father, all-knowing and ever-present, clear my mind of stress and allow me to pause for a short moment and feel your presence. Strengthen me to do Your will and allow the Holy Spirit to guide me in the ways You are leading me. May Your will be done today and always. Amen.</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>Loving God, source of all truth, I humbly ask you to strengthen me and allow my talents, which are gifts from You, to shine through today before this exam. May I always strive to boldly leverage my talents to give You honor. Even though I know that no text or exam here on earth can evaluate me on what’s most important, I still ask for Your blessing to do my best today. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>Lord, I simply ask today for peace and calm as my exam approaches. Quiet my mind and ease my anxiousness. Be with me as I take my test. Give me the grace to trust fully in You for whatever the future holds for me, in all my academic pursuits and with my life as a whole. Amen.</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/prayersbeforeexam">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-st-thomas-aquinas-prayer-before-an-exam">St. Thomas Aquinas Prayer Before an Exam</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There are different versions of this prayer attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and patron saint of schools and students.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In his book <em>A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas: A Handbook for Peeping Thomists</em>, Ralph McInerny describes how Aquinas has been the go-to saint for students and those in academia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Thomas has been recommended to Catholic philosophers and theologians as their principal guide. The assumption is that he can aid them in their task,” he<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=cWMFDgAAQBAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=st.+thomas+aquinas&amp;hl=en&amp;newbks=1&amp;newbks_redir=0&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiIy_mA7dmKAxXD78kDHTJnMLQQ6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false"> wrote</a>. “Their task, in a nutshell, is to attain the truth. The main reason to read Thomas is to learn things that are true.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Consider seeking the intercession of St. Thomas Aquinas with the following prayer:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Lord,&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>True source of light and wisdom,&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Give me a keen sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the capacity to grasp things correctly.&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Grant me the grace to be accurate in my writing&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>and the skill to express myself with thoroughness and clarity.&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Be with me at the start of my work. Guide its progress and bring it to completion.&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-st-agatha-prayer-before-a-nursing-exam">St. Agatha Prayer Before a Nursing Exam</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Nursing students have rigorous exams they must pass before becoming licensed to work as a registered nurse.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Agatha is often considered the patron saint of nurses; though she was not a nurse herself, the third-century Sicilian martyr endured tremendous hardship and challenging situations for a noble cause, something with which many pursuing a career in nursing can identify.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This short prayer can be prayed before a nursing exam to ask for the intercession of St. Agatha:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Dearest St. Agatha, patron of nurses, I come to you today to ask for your intercession as I approach my exam. Pray that if it’s God’s will, I will pass my exam and pursue a vocation as a nurse. Pray that I always have the strength to live each day in service of others, no matter the cost. Pray that God eases my mind and my heart, replacing stress with peace–the peace that only He can provide. St. Agatha, pray for me!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-st-joseph-of-cupertino-prayer-before-an-exam">St. Joseph of Cupertino Prayer Before an Exam</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Joseph of Cupertino is another patron of students and test-takers. He was a poor student (<a href="https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/st-joseph-of-cupertino-the-dunce-5587">sometimes called a dunce!</a>) but very humble and virtuous. He eventually passed an important exam to become a Franciscan, seemingly against all odds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Versions of this prayer are popular among students before taking a significant exam:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino,&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew,&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Obtain for me a favor in the examinations for which I am now preparing.&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. Though Christ our Lord. Amen.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/prayersbeforeexam">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surrender-novena-prayer">Surrender Novena Prayer</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Perhaps one of the best prayers to say before an exam is a simple 10 words. It comes from the<a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-surrender-novena/"> Surrender Novena</a>, and it’s easy to memorize and repeat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Jesus, I surrender myself to You. Take care of everything! (repeat)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This simple prayer is powerful and reminds us to place all of our trust in God, not just for exams we take in school but for any test or trial that we must endure. It reminds us of our limitations as humans and that we can’t (and shouldn’t) try to control things and dictate our will.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-other-prayers-before-an-exam">Other Prayers Before an Exam</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Perhaps the best way to pray before an exam is any prayer that helps you feel God’s love for you and reminds you that no outcome on any exam will ever change that. Consider<a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-lectio-divina/"> Lectio divina</a>,<a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet/"> Divine Mercy Chaplet</a> or the<a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-litany-of-trust/"> Litany of Trust</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Prayers Before an Exam [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => prayers-before-an-exam [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-01-08 16:12:53 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-01-08 16:12:53 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=74437 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 10783 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-12-21 15:02:00 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-12-21 15:02:00 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Table of Contents</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#intro">New Year's Prayer: Intro</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#bible-verses-for-new-year">Bible Verses for New Year's</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#new-years-eve-prayers">New Year's Eve Prayers</a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#saint-sylvester-prayer">St. Sylvester Prayer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#new-years-day-prayers">New Year's Day Prayers</a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#pope-john-paul-ii-new-years-prayer-2000">Pope John Paul II</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#pope-benedict-xvi-new-years-prayer-2008">Pope Benedict XVI</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#pope-francis-new-years-prayer-2021">Pope Francis</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=10783&amp;action=edit#religious-new-years-prayers">Religious New Year's Blessings and Wishes</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#solemnity-of-mary">New Year's Day: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#catholic-resolutions-more-prayer">New Year's Resolution: More Prayer</a><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#daily-prayer">Daily Prayer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#bible-in-a-year">Bible in a Year</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#new-years-prayer-faq">New Year's Prayer FAQ</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="intro" class="">You might still have Christmas presents lying around the house when you first get asked the classic late Dec. social inquiry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"What are your plans for New Year's?"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our mind immediately goes toward our calendar, parties we might attend, or ways we may ring in the new year comfortably and quietly at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The sacred may not overtly have a role in most New Year's Eve festivities, but inviting God to enter more deeply into your life is beneficial on any given day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">God is indeed present with us as we celebrate the new year, as He is in all days. And given that it is a time of renewal, refreshment, and recommitment, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day can be an especially important time in our prayer lives.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow, the #1 Catholic prayer &amp; meditation app, has you covered for all your prayer needs, including New Year's Eve and New Year's day Scripture, prayers, and blessings to get 2025 off to a good, prayerful start.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="bible-verses-for-new-year"><strong>Bible Verses About the New Year</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">New Year's celebrations may date back to <a href="https://www.history.com/news/5-ancient-new-years-celebrations">as early as 2,000 B.C.</a> in ancient Babylon. While the modern calendar as we know it—and celebrating the New Year on Jan. 1—is a more recent creation, Jesus may have had some understanding of the concept, at least in the context of Jewish customs surrounding the celebration of the new year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Leviticus 23:24-45 makes reference to this:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">24 Tell the Israelites: On the first day of the seventh month[a] you will have a sabbath rest, with trumpet blasts as a reminder, a declared holy day; 25 you shall do no heavy work, and you shall offer an oblation to the Lord.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Leviticus 23:24-45</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Other places in Scripture capture the spiritual essence of New Year's and its focus as a time of refreshment and new beginnings. These passages are worth reflecting on as you look ahead to the new year:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away." 5 The one who sat on the throne[a] said, "Behold, I make all things new." Then he said, "Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true." 6 He said to me, "They are accomplished.[b] I [am] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Revelation 21:4-6</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">36 [a]And he also told them a <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/parables-of-jesus/">parable</a>. "No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. 37 Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Luke 5:36-38</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the wilderness I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Isaiah 43:19</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">11 For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the Lord—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Any of these readings are great for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day reflection, but the Hallow app has daily readings and reflections for each day. Download the app and start praying today</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Jeremiah 29:11 </cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>MORE:</strong> <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-gospels/">How to Pray the Gospels</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"left","className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-left"><strong>New Year's Eve Prayers</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One of the interesting dynamics surrounding the contemporary observance of Christmas is that once the calendar turns to Dec. 26, the secular celebration largely ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But the Church's celebration is just beginning!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The octave of Christmas lasts eight days, including Dec. 31, so New Year's Eve falls squarely into the Christmas season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Therefore, <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/christmas-prayer-catholic-blessings/">Christmas prayers</a> and blessings are completely appropriate, particularly if you're spending the evening with a different crowd than with whom you celebrated Christmas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Extend a "Merry Christmas" on New Year's Eve and continue celebrating the season. It's a perfectly fine New Year's Eve greeting!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="saint-sylvester-prayer" class="">Additionally, New Year's Eve is the feast day of St. Sylvester, a fourth-century pope. Asking for his intercession is another form of New Year's Eve prayer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This prayer comes courtesy of <a href="https://www.stsylvesterli.org/Prayer-to-St--Sylvester">St. Sylvester's Church</a> in Medford, N.Y.:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Come, O Lord, to the help of your people, sustained by the intercession of Pope Saint Sylvester, so that, running the course of this present life under your guidance, we may happily attain life without end. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite>Prayer to St. Sylvester</cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="new-years-day-prayers"><strong>New Year's Day Prayers</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When looking for words to pray or share around New Year's Day, we can receive guidance from the Holy See.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The bishop of Rome traditionally releases a blessing for the New Year. They are usually highly relevant for the moment in which they're written and shared, but they also contain wisdom and perspective that is more timeless.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="pope-john-paul-ii-new-years-prayer-2000" class="">For example, Pope John Paul II's blessing at the turn of the century resonates today, more than two decades later:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>I wish you a year filled with serenity and happiness: may you always be certain of God's love for us. As he did two thousand years ago, Christ comes today with his saving Gospel to guide the uncertain and faltering steps of peoples and nations, leading them towards a future of true hope. I ask him to bless this moment of festivity and good wishes, that it may be the promising beginning of a new millennium filled with joy and peace. Let us enter the Year 2000 with our eyes fixed on the mystery of the Incarnation. Christ, yesterday, today and for ever. To him belong time and the ages. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen! I thank you. Happy New Year to all. Praised be Jesus Christ!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/messages/urbi/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_20000101_urbi.html">Pope John Paul II, Jan. 1, 2000</a></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="pope-benedict-xvi-new-years-prayer-2008" class="">Pope Benedict XVI also gives us a New Year's Blessing from 2008 that is meaningful as we head into 2022:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Dear brothers and sisters, it is only by pondering in the heart, in other words, by piecing together and finding unity in all we experience, that, following Mary, we can penetrate the mystery of a God who was made man out of love and who calls us to follow him on the path of love; a love to be expressed daily by generous service to the brethren. May the new year which we are confidently beginning today be a time in which to advance in that knowledge of the heart, which is the wisdom of saints. Let us pray, as we heard in the First Reading, that the Lord may "make his face to shine" upon us, "and be gracious" to us (cf. Nm 6: 24-7) and bless us. We may be certain of it: if we never tire of seeking his Face, if we never give in to the temptation of discouragement and doubt, if also among the many difficulties we encounter we always remain anchored to him, we will experience the power of his love and his mercy. May the fragile Child who today the Virgin shows to the world make us peacemakers, witnesses of him, the Prince of Peace. Amen!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/homilies/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20080101_world-day-peace.html">Pope Benedict XVI, Jan. 1, 2008</a></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="pope-francis-new-years-prayer-2021" class="">Finally, consider Pope Francis' prayerful words heading into 2021:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>May the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the "Prince of Peace" (Is 9:6), and who cuddles him this way, with such tenderness in her arms, obtain for us from heaven the precious gift of peace, which cannot be fully pursued by human strength alone. Human strength alone is not enough because peace is above all a gift, a gift of God; it should be implored with unceasing prayer, sustained with patient and respectful dialogue, constructed with an open cooperation with truth and justice and always attentive to the legitimate aspirations of individuals and peoples. My hope is that peace may reign in the hearts of men and women and in families, in places of work and of recreation, in communities and in nations. In families, at work, in nations: peace, peace. Now is the time to think that life today is organized around war, and enmities, by many things that destroy. We want peace. And this is a gift.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --><cite><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2021/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20210101.html">Pope Francis, Jan. 1, 2021</a></cite></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If it's been a while since you've prayed and looking to get a jump in your prayer life to draw closer to God in 2025, check out all of our <a href="/how-to-pray">How To's</a> as well as <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray/">6 tips for getting started in prayer</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="religious-new-years-prayers"><strong>Religious New Year's Prayers and Wishes</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If you're looking for a way to offer a Catholic or religious happy new year blessing, Hallow has you covered.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">These short New Year's blessings can work for text messages, emails, Facebook posts, or however you'd like to extend your best wishes to family and friends for the new year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"Wishing you a New Year filled with peace and love"</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"May God continue to bless you this year and throughout all your days"</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"In this season of transition, from one year to the next, may God watch over you and bless you abundantly"</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"Comforted by the promise of salvation, may you enjoy a New Year overflowing with the joy that only God can provide"</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"May our eternal God, who transcends our understanding of time, be with you in this new year and always"</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"May the Light of God guide you and may His loving arms protect you in this new year"</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace! (Numbers 6:24-26)"</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="solemnity-of-mary"><strong>New Year's Day Prayer: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In addition to all the other reasons to spend time in prayer around New Year's Day, Jan. 1 is also the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It is often a Holy Day of Obligation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The <a href="https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/010122.cfm">gospel reading for the day</a> takes us back to Luke, with the birth of Jesus, Mary's encounter with the shepherds, the message they bore, and how Mary "kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">How might we do the same, reflecting on God's message for us and holding it in our hearts?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Since the day honors Mary, consider praying the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-hail-mary/">Hail Mary</a> or the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">Rosary</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When New Year's Day draws to a close consider falling asleep with Mary, by using the Hallow app's "Hail Mary" prayer, which softly repeats the prayer to Mary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>MORE PRAYERS:</strong> <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-christian-meditation/">Christian Meditation</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="catholic-resolutions-more-prayer"><strong>New Year's Resolution: More Prayer</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":9984,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom","className":"is-style-default"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><a href="https://hallow.app.link/blogdownload"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Morning-Prayer-v2-1024x576.jpg" alt="Pray Ever Day with Hallow, the #1 Catholic prayer and meditation app." class="wp-image-9984"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">New Year's resolutions often accompany New Year's celebrations, as people across the globe recognize the opportunity to get closure on the previous year and begin anew.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2020/12/23/2021-new-years-resolutions-poll">According to YouGov</a>, the Top 5 most popular New Year's Resolutions are:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>More exercise/fitness</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lose weight</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Save more money</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Improve diet</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pursue a career ambition</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The common thread in each? Self-improvement. And they're all admirable in their own way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But how much would we all benefit from more prayer?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Those who pray with Hallow find more peace—and often sleep better. With Hallow, committing to prayer can be one of the easiest New Year's resolutions to make.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Since you can pray easily from your phone, you can even weave in prayer into your other resolutions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">James Clear, author of "<a href="https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits">Atomic Habits</a>," has written about a strategy called "<a href="https://jamesclear.com/habit-stacking">Habit Stacking</a>," where one introduces a new habit into an existing habit to make the behavior stick.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">How would this work with prayer? Incorporate time with God into habits you already have or are looking to build:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>When you start a workout, begin a prayer as you exercise</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>As you commute to work, spend time in prayer</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Each time you receive a check, say a quick prayer of thanksgiving</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Each time you open a social media app on your phone, first open Hallow</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In time, you'll find yourself praying more, with less effort, and spending time with God will become ingrained into your day-to-day activities.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="daily-prayer">Daily Prayer</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Building the habit of prayer can take many different forms and be tailored to your specific preferences and behaviors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If you're a morning person, you can weave in prayer into your morning routine, perhaps with a daily reflection each morning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-night-prayer/">Night time prayer</a> is another population option for praying each day. In addition to helping with sleep, praying at night can be a great time to reflect on the day, its challenges, and where God was present. <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-examen/">The Examen</a> is a another form of prayer, popular at night, that helps Catholics recognize the ways in which God was at work in their lives during the past day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In addition to daily devotions, night prayer and the daily Examen, the Hallow app has other options for helping build prayer routines each day, such as the Daily Saint program that highlights one saint—and their words and prayers—each day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="bible-in-a-year">Bible in a Year</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":10796,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"custom","className":"is-style-default"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-style-default"><a href="https://hallow.app.link/blogdownload"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/event_card-min-1024x576.png" alt="Bible In A Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz on Hallow" class="wp-image-10796"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible can sometimes seem intimidating.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">So many books. So many chapters. So many names that are hard to pronounce! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">For something to fundamental to our faith, it can feel unapproachable. Yet spending time with our sacred text can have a monumental impact on our faith. When we pause to read and reflect on Scripture—even passages we've heard dozens of times previously—God can continually reveal things to us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The new year is a great time to commit to spending more time reading the Bible. With Bible in a Year, you can read the Bible with a helpful guide and enjoy a guided prayer to elicit God's voice from the text.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In partnership with <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/bible-in-a-year-with-father-mike-schmitz/">Ascension Press</a> and Fr. Mike Schmitz, the popular Bible in a Year podcast is on Hallow. Each day, Fr. Mike will read 2-3 passages from scripture and follow with a reflection and prayer. In 20 minutes a day you can read the entire Bible (over the course of the year). It's also available in Spanish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You don't need to be a Biblical scholar to participate. Check out what regular Catholic men and women just like you had to say about their experiencing joining Bible in a Year on Hallow:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"My wife and I both wanted to try something special to start off the year and to grow in our Catholic faith. Independently we both decided to do Father Michael Schmitz Catholic Bible in a year. We downloaded Hallow app and it has made this awesome experience even better."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike is life changing. I thank you for these wonderful recourses that are right at my fingertips."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"I use Hallow to listen to Fr. Mike’s Bible in a Year podcast. I love that I get to hear the readings and commentary on the actual day released."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center","orientation":"horizontal"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/blogdownload">Join Bible in a Year</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="new-years-prayer-faq">Frequently Asked Questions about New Year’s Prayers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:yoast/faq-block {"questions":[{"id":"faq-question-1640727991785","question":["Is New Year's Day a Holy Day of Obligation? "],"answer":["In the United States, New Year’s Day (solemnity of Mary, Mother of God) is a Holy Day of Obligation unless it falls on a Saturday or Monday (",{"type":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/canon-law/complementary-norms/canon-1246","children":["USCCB"]}},"). "],"jsonQuestion":"Is New Year's Day a Holy Day of Obligation? ","jsonAnswer":"In the United States, New Year’s Day (solemnity of Mary, Mother of God) is a Holy Day of Obligation unless it falls on a Saturday or Monday (\u003ca href=\u0022https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/canon-law/complementary-norms/canon-1246\u0022\u003eUSCCB\u003c/a\u003e). "},{"id":"faq-question-1640728013089","question":["When did New Year’s Day Become a Holy Day of Obligation? "],"answer":["The celebration of Mary on Jan. 1 dates back more than 1,000 years, though its exact start day is unknown. "],"jsonQuestion":"When did New Year’s Day Become a Holy Day of Obligation? ","jsonAnswer":"The celebration of Mary on Jan. 1 dates back more than 1,000 years, though its exact start day is unknown. "},{"id":"faq-question-1640728028615","question":["What's a Good Prayer for New Year's? "],"answer":[{"type":"em","props":{"children":["“May God continue to bless you this year and throughout all your days.” "]}}],"jsonQuestion":"What's a Good Prayer for New Year's? ","jsonAnswer":"\u003cem\u003e“May God continue to bless you this year and throughout all your days.” \u003c/em\u003e"},{"id":"faq-question-1640728045463","question":["What’s a Good Catholic New Year’s Resolution? "],"answer":["Committing to spend more time in prayer is a great New Year’s resolution for all Christians. "],"jsonQuestion":"What’s a Good Catholic New Year’s Resolution? ","jsonAnswer":"Committing to spend more time in prayer is a great New Year’s resolution for all Christians. "}]} --> <div class="schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block"><div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1640727991785"><strong class="schema-faq-question">Is New Year's Day a Holy Day of Obligation? </strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">In the United States, New Year’s Day (solemnity of Mary, Mother of God) is a Holy Day of Obligation unless it falls on a Saturday or Monday (<a href="https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/canon-law/complementary-norms/canon-1246">USCCB</a>). </p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1640728013089"><strong class="schema-faq-question">When did New Year’s Day Become a Holy Day of Obligation? </strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">The celebration of Mary on Jan. 1 dates back more than 1,000 years, though its exact start day is unknown. </p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1640728028615"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What's a Good Prayer for New Year's? </strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer"><em>“May God continue to bless you this year and throughout all your days.” </em></p> </div> <div class="schema-faq-section" id="faq-question-1640728045463"><strong class="schema-faq-question">What’s a Good Catholic New Year’s Resolution? </strong> <p class="schema-faq-answer">Committing to spend more time in prayer is a great New Year’s resolution for all Christians. </p> </div> </div> <!-- /wp:yoast/faq-block --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">More Prayers</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <p><!-- /wp:buttons --></p> <p><!-- wp:list {"className":""} --></p> <ul class=""> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/thanksgiving-prayer/">Thanksgiving Prayer</a></li> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">How to Pray the Rosary</a></li> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/7-sorrows/">The Seven Sorrows Rosary</a></li> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-our-father/">The Lord's Prayer (Our Father)</a></li> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-st-therese-novena">The St. Thérèse Novena</a></li> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-mary-undoer-of-knots-novena">Mary, Undoer of Knots Novena</a></li> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet/">Divine Mercy Novena</a></li> </ul> <p><!-- /wp:list --></p> <p><!-- wp:buttons {"contentJustification":"center"} --></p> <div class="wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center"><!-- wp:button --></div> <p><!-- /wp:button --></p> <p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p><!-- /wp:paragraph --></p> <p><!-- /wp:buttons --></p> <p><!-- wp:buttons {"contentJustification":"center"} --></p> <div class="wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center"><!-- wp:button {"backgroundColor":"black","className":"is-style-fill"} --></div> <p><!-- /wp:button --></p> <p><!-- /wp:buttons --></p> [post_title] => New Year's Prayers: Catholic Prayers and Blessings for New Year's Eve and Day 2025 [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => new-years-prayers [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://hallow.com/2019/09/25/how-to-pray-night-prayer/ https://hallow.com/2021/02/10/7-sorrows/ https://hallow.com/2021/06/30/how-to-pray-the-gospels/ https://hallow.com/2020/02/12/how-to-pray-our-father/ https://hallow.com/2020/03/08/how-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet/ https://hallow.com/2019/09/13/how-to-pray-the-examen/ [post_modified] => 2024-12-24 19:14:37 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-12-24 19:14:37 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=10783 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 69298 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-10-22 21:23:27 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-10-22 21:23:27 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-election-prayers-jump-to-a-section">Election Prayers: Jump to a Section</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="http://bible-verses">Bible Verses</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#short">Short Election Prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#before-election">Before Election</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#after-election">After Election</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Elections are stressful.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It doesn’t matter if you’re running for office, simply paying attention to an election, or trying to avoid getting swept up in the sea of election chaos. It’s all too common to find election season to be a challenging one.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Reminders of the election are everywhere: from yards to TV to social media feeds. The tension feels both suffocating and inescapable.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Luckily, in moments when we feel overwhelmed, we can turn to God for peace. And in moments when our country feels divided, we can unite in prayer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2024, Hallow is launching a prayer challenge, One Nation Under God, to help us all come together in prayer for America.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Join the challenge today and use the prayers below to help you navigate the election season with a little more peace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/electionprayers">Pray for Our Country on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="bible-verses">Election Prayers: Bible Verses</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One of the most simple forms of prayer is spending time with Scripture and listening to how God is speaking to us through His word.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">These Bible verses feel especially relevant during election season:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"<em>He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed</em>." - Daniel 7:14</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This verse from Daniel reminds us that regardless of who sits in the White House or any political, corporate or governmental office, God is ultimately the King. His reign is forever, unlike any positions human beings hold on earth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"<em>God’s way is unerring; the Lord’s promise is tried and true; he is a shield for all who trust in him. Truly, who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is the rock?</em>" - 2 Samuel: 31-32</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This verse reminds us that, while we sometimes feel like the weight of the world depends on the outcome of the ballot box, we ought to place our trust ultimately in God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>"<em>First of all, then, I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth."</em> -1 Timothy: 1-4</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In Biblical times, as it is now, it’s important that we pray for all of our leaders and our country, regardless of who wins and loses an election. This verse reminds us that we can all come together in prayer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>"If you live in accordance with my statutes and are careful to observe my commandments, I will give you your rains in due season, so that the land will yield its crops, and the trees their fruit;  your threshing will last till vintage time, and your vintage till the time for sowing, and you will eat your fill of food, and live securely in your land. I will establish peace in the land, and you will lie down to rest with no one to cause you anxiety."</em> - Leviticus 26:3-6</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This verse from Leviticus speaks to how abundantly God provides for His people. It's a lesson that we can forget when we drift into a mindset where the weight of the entire world hinges on the result of a particular relection.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="short">Short Prayer for Peaceful Elections</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">These original short prayers from Hallow can help you pray for our country as well as draw closer to God during election season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Heavenly Father, we ask you today to be with us and our country now as you have been since our first days as a nation. Help us to listen less to harsh rhetoric and more to the Holy Spirit. Help us to feel how Your Spirit will guide us, no matter the election’s outcome. We pray for peace, love and hope, in Your name. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Christ, our King, we pray today that we can look beyond the current political landscape, in a moment when it seems like it’s the only thing everyone is talking about, and remember that we are builders of Your kingdom here on earth. Prince of Peace, help peace flourish amid division, and strengthen us to live generously and charitably in Your name. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>God, may Your Spirit unify us. May we recognize that we are all created in Your image, regardless of which political candidate we vote for. As we approach this election, open our eyes to recognize that people we may disagree with are still our brothers and sisters, Your children. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="before-election">USCCB Prayer Before an Election</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The USCCB <a href="https://www.usccb.org/prayers/prayer-election">offers us</a> a prayer we can pray as elections approach.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Lord God, as the election approaches,</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>we seek to better understand the issues and concerns that confront our city/state/country,</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>and how the Gospel compels us to respond as faithful citizens in our community.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>We ask for eyes that are free from blindness</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>so that we might see each other as brothers and sisters,</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>one and equal in dignity,</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>especially those who are victims of abuse and violence, deceit and poverty.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>We ask for ears that will hear the cries of children unborn and those abandoned,</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Men and women oppressed because of race or creed, religion or gender.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>We ask for minds and hearts that are open to hearing the voice of leaders who will bring us closer to your Kingdom.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>We pray for discernment</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>so that we may choose leaders who hear your Word,</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>live your love,</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>and keep in the ways of your truth</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>as they follow in the steps of Jesus and his Apostles</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>and guide us to your Kingdom of justice and peace.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Amen.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="after-election">Prayer for After an Election</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow has created a simple prayer for the hours, days and weeks following the election:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>God of all creation, we ask for Your blessing today as we seek to move forward following the election.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>After months of words, claims and promises, we pray that we may unite over actions: loving our neighbors, pursuing justice, becoming peacemakers.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>In His Resurrection, we know that Jesus conquered death, securing for us the promise of salvation. On this day, let us focus on the hope we enjoy as Christians. Let this hope sustain us during any challenges moments that may come our way. Let us never succumb to division, hate, or hopelessness.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>In Your name we pray. Amen.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/electionprayers">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prayers-from-presidents">Prayers from Presidents</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Prayer has deep roots in America.&nbsp; Praying for our country is something millions of Americans have done across hundreds of years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It’s also something that predates our country, with roots dating back to the Second Continental Congress in 1775 (one of the reasons we still celebrate a <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/national-day-of-prayer/">National Day of Prayer</a>!)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">See how prayer been prominent in America’s history through the words of our various presidents:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fdr-s-d-day-prayer-june-6-1944">FDR’s D-Day Prayer - June 6, 1944</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">And for us at home - fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas - whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them - help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Give us strength, too - strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Thy will be done, Almighty God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">(<a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/prayer-d-day">View the prayer in its entirety</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-theodore-roosevelt-thanksgiving-prayer-nbsp-1902-nbsp">Theodore Roosevelt, Thanksgiving Prayer,&nbsp; 1902&nbsp;</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Nevertheless, decade by decade we have struggled onward and upward; we now abundantly enjoy material well-being, and under the favor of the Most High we are striving earnestly to achieve moral and spiritual uplifting. The year that has just closed has been one of peace and of overflowing plenty. Rarely has any people enjoyed greater prosperity than we are now enjoying. For this we render heartfelt thanks to the giver of Good; and we will seek to praise Him, not by words only, but by deeds, by the way in which we do our duty to ourselves and to our fellow-men. (<a href="https://www.pilgrimhall.org/pdf/TG_Presidential_Thanksgiving_Proclamations_1900_1909.pdf">Source</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3,"className":""} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-woodrow-wilson-1918">Woodrow Wilson, 1918</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Now, Therefore, I, Woodrow Wilson,</em> President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Thursday, the thirtieth day of May, a day already freighted with sacred and stimulating memories, a day of public humiliation, prayer and fasting, and do exhort my fellow-citizens of all faiths and creeds to assemble on that day in their several places of worship and there, as well as in their homes, to pray Almighty God that He may forgive our sins and shortcomings as a people and purify our hearts to see and love the truth, to accept and defend all things that are just and right, and to purpose only those righteous acts and judgments which are in conformity with His will; beseeching Him that He will give victory to our armies as they fight for freedom, wisdom to those who take counsel on our behalf in these days of dark struggle and perplexity, and steadfastness to our people to make sacrifice to the utmost in support of what is just and true, bringing us at last the peace in which men's hearts can be at rest because it is founded upon mercy, justice and good will. (<a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-1445-decoration-day-1918">Source</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-prayer-resources">More Prayer Resources</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If you’re looking to find peace and relieve stress at any time, Hallow has plenty of prayer resources to help you spend some time with God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">How to Pray the Rosary</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-st-jude-novena/">St. Jude Novena</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/saint-anthony-novena/">St. Anthony Novena</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-lectio-divina/">Lectio Divina</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Election Prayers: Praying for America and Finding Peace During Elections with Prayer, Bible Verses [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => election-prayers [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-10-22 21:23:59 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-10-22 21:23:59 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=69298 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 68300 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-10-08 01:14:57 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-10-08 01:14:57 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jump to any section:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#bibilical-origins">Biblical Origins </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#7-deadly-sins-and-virtues">7 Deadly Sins/7 Virtues</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#spiritual-warfare-and-the-church">Spiritual Warfare and the Church</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#exorcisms">Exorcisms</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#saints">Saints to Ask for Help From</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Spiritual warfare recognizes that the devil is real, evil exists, and each day, these forces attempt to drive us towards living lives of sin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It exists both in the dramatic moments but also in the mundane, daily experience of every day life, according to Fr. Dwight Longenecker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">"Our basic default setting for the Christian life is spiritual warfare,"<a href="https://www.ncregister.com/features/good-vs-evil-spiritual-warfare"> he told the National Catholic Register</a>. "We have to understand that we're confronted with spiritual warfare every day in multiple ways....It's in the perseverance of faith that the real spiritual warfare takes place."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="bibilical-origins">Spiritual Warfare: Biblical Origins&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The New Testament gives us plenty of examples of Jesus casting out demons and, later, commissioning the disciples to do the same (Luke 9:1).&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There are smaller spiritual battles that we face each day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the first letter of Peter, we’re reminded that all humans undergo these challenges, which seek to divide us from God:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. (1 Peter 5:8-9)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">While the BIble references spiritual warfare, it also gives us examples of how to battle it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a famous example of this:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-20)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=mZJ0DQAAQBAJ">"Talking Back: A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons,"</a> Evagrius of Pontus, a 4th-century monk, collected 498 passages from the Bible and provided instruction on how they could be used to “talk back” to demons amid spiritual warfare.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Spending time with Scripture helps us stay close to God and avoid the temptation of sin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/fK1t27GWvNb">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="7-deadly-sins-and-virtues">7 Deadly Sins and Virtues</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Sin <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_one/chapter_one/article_8/ii_the_definition_of_sin.html">turns our hearts away</a> from God’s love for us. If we turn away from God and His law, we turn closer to the devil.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The “Seven Deadly Sins” as we know them were articulated by Pope Gregory the Great in the sixth century:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Anger</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Greed</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lust</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pride</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Gluttony</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Sloth</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Envy</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">He identified one sin as the root or gateway to others:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“For when pride, the queen of sins, has fully possessed a conquered heart, she surrenders it immediately to seven principal sins, as if to some of her generals, to lay it waste,” <a href="https://www.lectionarycentral.com/GregoryMoralia/Book31.html">he wrote</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Conversely, there are seven corresponding virtues that help us make good moral choices and draw closer to God:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Charity</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Chastity</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Diligence</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Humility</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Kindness</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Patience</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Temperance</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When we avoid these sins and opt for their corresponding virtue, we strengthen our resolve in spiritual battle against the snares of the devil.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="spiritual-warfare-and-the-church">Spiritual Warfare and the Church</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Spiritual warfare has a long history, but it’s not limited to history: It exists today, as the Church is acutely aware.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes reference to the “spiritual battle” that we all fight, and how prayer is key in this battle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Prayer is both a gift of grace and a determined response on our part. It always presupposes effort. the great figures of prayer of the Old Covenant before Christ, as well as the Mother of God, the saints, and he himself, all teach us this: prayer is a battle. Against whom? Against ourselves and against the wiles of the tempter who does all he can to turn man away from prayer, away from union with God. We pray as we live, because we live as we pray. If we do not want to act habitually according to the Spirit of Christ, neither can we pray habitually in his name. the "spiritual battle" of the Christian's new life is inseparable from.” (CCC 2775)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In a 2014 meditation, <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/cotidie/2014/documents/papa-francesco-cotidie_20141030_a-beautiful-struggle.html">Pope Francis reminded us that</a> “the Devil exists and we have to fight against him.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2021/documents/papa-francesco_20211027_udienza-generale.html">In 2021</a>, Pope Francis reminded us of the power of the Holy Spirit to nourish us, guide us, and protect us in spiritual battle:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Thus, the life of the community is regenerated in the Holy Spirit; and it is always thanks to him that we nourish our Christian lives and continue to engage in our spiritual battle.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But some instances of spiritual warfare are more severe than others. And the Church has guidelines for those, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/fK1t27GWvNb">Join Hallow's Course on Spiritual Warfare</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="exorcisms">Spiritual Warfare and Exorcisms</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Popular 1973 horror movie “The Exorcist” introduced many to the concept of demonic possession and exorcism.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Although Hollywood movies and television shows often exaggerate, dramatize, or misrepresent many aspects of faith, including exorcisms, they are indeed a reality of our world.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/sacramentals-blessings/exorcism">The USCCB teaches</a> us that there are two forms of exorcisms: minor and major. Minor exorcisms take place before Baptism and RCIA. The Rite of Baptism includes a “Prayer of Exorcism” that the celebrant prays:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Almighty and ever-living God, you sent your only Son into the world to cast out the power of Satan, spirit of evil, to rescue man from the kingdom of darkness, and bring him into the splendor of your kingdom of light. We pray for this child: set him (her) free from original sin, make him (her) a temple of your glory, and send your Holy Spirit to dwell with him (her). We ask this through Christ our Lord.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Major exorcisms, like those seen in the movie The Exorcist, are different. Only bishops or priests with special permissions can perform major exorcisms, which are directed toward “the expulsion of demons or to the liberation [of a person] from demonic possession.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">According to Fr. Vincent Lampert, who leads Hallow’s course on spiritual warfare, there are four main criteria that the Church uses to establish a valid case of demonic possession in an individual:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>the ability to speak and understand languages otherwise unknown to the individual,</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>exhibiting extraordinary strength (beyond the normal ability of the individual),</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>elevated perception with knowledge beyond natural power,  that is, information otherwise unknown to the individual, and finally,</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>strong resistance against all divine influences i.e. the Bible, sacred places, crucifix, holy water, relics, etc.  </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Today, the <a href="https://popeleo13institute.org/">Pope Leo XIII Institute</a> assists bishops, priests, and deacons in supporting those dealing with this serious condition. It also works with laity to create prayer teams who support exorcisms by praying for those afflicted.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Indeed, prayer is the most simple form of <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-protection/">protection</a> amid spiritual warfare that we have available to us. When we pray, we can ask for angels and saints to intercede for us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:buttons {"layout":{"type":"flex","justifyContent":"center"}} --> <div class="wp-block-buttons"><!-- wp:button --> <div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" href="https://hallow.app.link/fK1t27GWvNb">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="saints">Saints: Intercessors for Spiritual Warfare</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The communion of saints offers many holy men and women who are able and willing to pray for us as we battle spiritual warfare.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Michael the Archangel is one saint that many people turn to when seeking protection. In fact, many churches conclude Mass by praying the St. Michael prayer. You can also pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-st-michael-chaplet/">St. Michael Chaplet</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Since he protected the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph is also a popular saint for intercession against spiritual warfare.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Many people also ask for the intercession of St. Padre Pio. In <a href="https://catholicexchange.com/padre-pio-on-the-battle-of-prayer/">his letters</a>, he wrote often about being mindful of spiritual battles we face:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Drive away what the enemy is whispering loudly in your when he wants you to believe you are almost on the point of being lost. Despite these evil insinuations, the Lord is with you as never before in your tribulations. God tells us. Take heart, then, and don’t be afraid, for it is quite certain that the one who fears to be lost will not be lost and the one who fights with his eyes fixed on God will cry victory and the triumphal hymn. There is nothing to be afraid, for the heavenly Father has promised us the necessary help to prevent us from being overcome by temptations.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-prayer-resources">More Prayer Resources</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When we stay close to God in prayer, and fill our hearts and minds with desires to do His will, we make it harder for the devil to find a space to tempt us or lead us astray.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Consider <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">praying the rosary</a> or committing to pray a novena, such as the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-mary-undoer-of-knots-novena/">Mary, Undoer of Knots novena</a>. You can also deepen your trust and reliance on God by praying the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-litany-of-trust/">Litany of Trust</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Finally, Hallow’s course on spiritual warfare, led by Fr. Vincent Lampert, is available in the Hallow app.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => Spiritual Warfare: Meaning, Scripture, Prayers and more [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => spiritual-warfare-meaning-scripture-prayers [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-10-08 01:15:05 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-10-08 01:15:05 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=68300 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )