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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,&nbsp; 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.&nbsp;&nbsp;</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> or observe <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/st-michaels-lent/">St. Michael's Lent</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] => 2025-07-22 00:41:45 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-07-22 00:41:45 [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 )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 66612 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-09-11 19:12:56 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-09-11 19:12:56 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Gertrude, also known as St. Gertrude the Great, was a 13th-century German nun of the Benedictine order who belonged to the famous Monastery of Helfsta.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Few details of Gertrude’s early life are known, but we know a tremendous amount about her adult life and her interior life through her writings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=EZJODwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA3&amp;source=gbs_toc_r&amp;cad=2#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">The Herald of God’s Loving Kindness</a>,” we learn that Gertrude had either three or four brothers and sisters and pursued a religious vocation, to which she originally was indifferent after her parents chose that path for her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">At 25, she began to experience visions of Jesus, which set her heart ablaze in a new way and led her to become one of the most well-known mystics in Church history.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">An introduction to “<a href="https://westminsterabbey.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/St.-Gertrude-Book.pdf">The Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude</a>,” attributed to an anonymous member of the Convent of Poor Clares, describes Gertrude and her love of Christ in beautiful imagery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>“A loving heart will always be a thankful heart; and so the continual incense of thanksgiving which ascended from the heart of Gertrude before the Eternal Throne, was but the fragrant aroma of the love which burned daily deeper and brighter within her.”</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/stgertrudenovena">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-st-gertrude-s-visions-nbsp">St. Gertrude’s Visions&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Gertrude’s visions of Jesus ultimately led to her popular prayer, as well as the St. Gertrude Chaplet (“St. Gertrude Rosary”), a faith practice that remains popular even today, nearly 800 years since her death.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One of her visions, recounted in “The Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude,” saw an encounter with Jesus that made clear the power of praying for others. It beautifully visualizes prayer and its connection to the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-sacred-heart-novena/">Sacred Heart of Jesus</a> (to which St. Gertrude was an early devotee):.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>But my God, wilt Thou not hear my prayer for my friends?" Then our Lord confirmed His words as with an oath, replying: "I will, by My Divine power." The Saint replied: "Hear, then, my petition for the person so often recommended to my prayers."</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>And immediately she beheld a stream, pure as crystal, flowing forth from the Heart of the Lord into the person for whom she prayed.&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Gertrude’s visionary encounters with Christ led her to abandon forms of vanity and devote herself more fully to God and in a special way, the study of Scripture.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">She “devoted herself to writing and popularizing the truth of faith with clarity and simplicity, with grace and persuasion, serving the Church faithfully and lovingly so as to be helpful to and appreciated by theologians and devout people,” <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20101006.html">said Pope Benedict XVI</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Gertrude developed a special fondness and devotion to praying for souls in purgatory, as detailed in “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=G7KrZTUwOxUC">The Herald of Divine Love</a>”:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>As for her, she besought the Lord that all those in heaven and on earth and even in purgatory (for indeed, all would have benefited from the fruits of her works, had she not been negligent) might now have at least some share in those fruits with which she had just been enriched by his divine generosity. As she was praying, each single one of her good works (symbolized by the fruits of the tree) began to distill a beneficent liquid. Part of this liquid spread over the blessed, increasing their bliss; part of it spread out over purgatory, easing the pain of souls; another part of it spread over the earth, increasing the sweetness of grace for the just, and for sinners the bitterness of repentance.&nbsp;</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope Benedict XVI also tells us that “St Gertrude's life lives on as a lesson of Christian life, of an upright path, and shows us that the heart of a happy life, of a true life, is friendship with the Lord Jesus.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Much of that lesson comes in the form of her prayer and devotion to souls in purgatory.&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/stgertrudenovena">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-st-gertrude-prayer">St. Gertrude Prayer</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">According to 1911 book “<a href="https://archive.org/stream/lovepeaceandjoya00prevuoft/lovepeaceandjoya00prevuoft_djvu.txt">Love, Peace, and Joy: A month of the Sacred Heart According to St. Gertrude</a>”, perhaps the simplest prayer associated with St. Gertrude is just three words: "Fiat voluntas tua", Latin for “May Thy will be done.”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In one of her visions, St. Gertrude received the following prayer, now commonly called the St. Gertrude prayer or the prayer of St. Gertrude, from Jesus:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Eternal Father, I offer thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my own family. Amen.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This prayer for souls in purgatory is prominent in the St. Gertrude Rosary. It also forms the basis for the St. Gertrude novena, where this prayer is repeated each day for nine days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The St. Gertrude prayer for souls in purgatory is also the main component of the St. Gertrude Chaplet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-pray-the-st-gertrude-chaplet">How to Pray the St. Gertrude Chaplet</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">A chaplet is a special personal, devotional prayer. It often uses <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-rosary/">rosary</a> beads or a single strand (or decade) of beads. Chaplets often involve repeating a particular prayer, as well as introductory and concluding prayers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The St. Gertrude Chaplet is sometimes called the “St. Gertrude Rosary” because it’s prayed using standard rosary beads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Because chaplets are personal devotions, feel free to try your own version based on the St. Gertrude prayer. If you’re more comfortable following along a more established version, here’s how to pray a popular version of the St. Gertrude chaplet:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Make the sign of the cross. Beginning at the crucifix, recite the Apostles Creed</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:image {"id":39583,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Step-2-Holding-the-Crucifix-pray-the-Apostles-Creed-1024x769.png" alt="Rosary beads with a spotlight on the crufifix" class="wp-image-39583"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>At the first large bead, Pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-our-father/">Our Father</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Over the next three small beads, Pray three <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-hail-mary/">Hail Marys</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>On the next large bead, pray a Glory Be</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:image {"id":39598,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://hallow.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Step-5-On-the-next-bead-pray-a-Glory-Be-1024x769.png" alt="Rosary beads with a highlight on the second large bead" class="wp-image-39598"/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>On the medallion or medal of the Rosary, pray the Our Father</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Next, on the first decade of the Rosary beads, pray the St. Gertrude prayer</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Eternal Father, I offer thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus in union with all the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my own family. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Repeat this nine times, and then pray two special prayers common in the St. Gertrude chaplet:</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, open the hearts and minds of sinners to the truth and light of God, the Father. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/immaculate-heart-of-mary/">Immaculate Heart of Mary</a>, pray for the conversion of sinners in the world.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Pray a Glory Be, then pray an Our Father on the large bead and repeat for the next four decades.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Repeat this for the next four decades</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Close with the sign of the cross.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Though no official Church teaching suggests this, traditional belief holds that each time the St. Gertrude prayer is prayed, 1,000 souls are released from purgatory. Therefore, each time the St. Gertrude rosary is prayed, 50,000 souls enter heaven from purgatory.</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/stgertrudenovena">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-prayer-resources-from-hallow">More Prayer Resources from Hallow</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/st-peregrine-novena/">How to Pray the St. Peregrine Novena</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-divine-mercy-chaplet/">How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-st-michael-chaplet/">How to Pray the St. Michael Chaplet</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => St. Gertrude Prayer, Chaplet and Rosary: How to Pray [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => st-gertrude-prayer-chaplet-and-rosary-how-to-pray [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-09-11 19:13:03 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-09-11 19:13:03 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=66612 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 66108 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-09-04 20:18:59 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-09-04 20:18:59 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Although his life sounds almost too unbelievable to be true, St. Peregrine not only existed but also left behind an incredible legacy that sees him still to this day as a patron saint to so many people battling terrible illnesses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine Laziosi, now known as “The Cancer Saint,” was born in Forli, Italy in 1265.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">According to “<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=cQEPAAAAQAAJ&amp;pg=PA92&amp;dq=st.+peregrine+laziosi&amp;hl=en&amp;newbks=1&amp;newbks_redir=0&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj-k_6LkamIAxVwIzQIHeOcOsEQ6AF6BAgIEAI">The Fairest Flower of Paradise: Considerations on the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, Enriched with Examples Drawn from the Lives of the Saints</a>” by Rev. Alexis M. Lepicier, O.S.M., Laziosi grew up “a fierce enemy of the Church and the Pope,” helping to lead revolutions against Church authority.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In a major act of rebellion, Peregrine famously slapped St. Philip Benizi. St. Philip forgave him and prayed for him. Peregrine “was changed into another man” by the display of forgiveness, which eventually led to Peregrine joining the Servite order of friars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As part of his self-imposed penance, Peregrine committed to never sitting unless absolutely necessary. He often slept leaning against a rock or a church bench. He tirelessly preached the Gospel and served the sick and the poor. Eventually, at 60, Peregrine’s legs began to fail him, as one leg developed cancer, marked by a horrible lesion.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The stench of the infected lesion made it unpleasant for others to be around Peregrine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The night before his cancerous leg was set to be amputated, Peregrine prayed before an image of Jesus on the Cross. According to the <a href="https://www.stperry.org/history">Friends of St. Peregrine</a>, Peregrine’s prayer “led him into a deep trance-like sleep during which he envisioned the crucified Christ leaving the cross and touching his cancerous leg.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">He awoke the next day and his leg was completely healed, free of cancer and with no visible signs of sickness.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine is perhaps the only saint whose medical miracle is documented on the National Institute of Health (NIH) site, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1742910/pdf/v079p00672.pdf">saying</a> "His physician was astonished to observe that there were no signs of the tumour.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-praying-for-the-intercession-of-saint-peregrine">Praying for the Intercession of Saint Peregrine</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Throughout the rest of his life, and after his death, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1947908/pdf/canmedaj01592-0076.pdf">many miracles</a> were attributed to St. Peregrine, including restoring sight to the blind, casting out evil spirits, and healing abdominal injuries.&nbsp;He became known as "Glorious Wonder Worker" for the many miracles he was associated with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Friends of St. Peregrine feature <a href="https://www.stperry.org/stories">many modern miraculous healings that</a>, while not miracles officially recognized by the Church, are attributed to St. Peregrine by those who experienced them. One such example comes from Michaelynn in December 2019:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>My brother was diagnosed with leukemia in June 2019. I googled the patron saint of anyone suffering from this disease and found St. Peregrine.&nbsp; I immediately began a novena for his intercession.&nbsp; I also asked everyone I knew to pray for my brother as well.&nbsp; My brother was immediately placed on chemotherapy. His response was so quick that he was released from the hospital earlier than expected. &nbsp; I continued to pray. My brother called me in August to tell me that he was leukemia free. I remembered the story in the Bible of Jesus healing a group of men and only one returned to thank Him. I am thanking Our Lord for my brother’s healing and St. Peregrine for his intercession.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We can always turn to God in our moments of suffering.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/travels/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_04101997_sick.html">In an address to the sick at the National Cancer Institute</a>, Pope John Paul XIII said of God: “He will always dry your tears, if you are able to look at his Cross and anticipate in hope the reward for this suffering. Trust in him. He will not abandon you!”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We can pray to God, through the intercession of St. Peregrine, the patron saint of those battling cancer, cancerous diseases, HIV/AIDS and other incurab.</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/stperegrinenovena">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-st-peregrine-novena-how-to-pray-a-novena-to-st-peregrine">St. Peregrine Novena - How to Pray a Novena to St. Peregrine</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You can pray a novena to St. Peregrine the same way you <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-novenas/">pray any other novena</a>: repeating the same prayer, petition, or devotion each day for nine days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow has created this original novena to St. Peregrine that you can use to ask for God’s healing from cancer for yourself or a loved one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Each day’s prayer offers an opportunity to lift up your particular intention. Additionally, the novena will lift up a different universal group of people whose lives are impacted by cancer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We recognize how scary a cancer diagnosis can be. Be assured of our prayers, and may God grant you peace as you pray the St. Peregrine novena. And remember that <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayer-campaigns/">Hallow’s prayer campaigns</a> are always free to create and join.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Jump to a specific day of the novena below, or just keep scrolling to start on Day 1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-1">Day 1 - For all those whose lives have been impacted by cancer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-2">Day 2 - For those undergoing tests and whose condition is unclear </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-3">Day 3 - For those recently diagnosed </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-4">Day 4 - For those whose cancer has returned </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-5">Day 5 - For the families and friends of those battling cancer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-6">Day 6 - For caretakers, nurses, and doctors treating cancer patients </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-7">Day 7 - For scientists and researchers striving to end this disease</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-8">Day 8 - For those near the end of their journey</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#day-9">Day 9 - For the pursuit of sainthood</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-1">St. Peregrine Novena: Day 1 - For everyone impacted by cancer</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Dearest St. Peregrine, faithful servant of God, I come to you today humbly seeking your intercession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, patron of those battling cancer and other disease, you devoted your life entirely to God, tirelessly tending to God’s children battling sickness and poverty and constantly preaching His word. I beseech thee, o mighty St. Peregrine, to pray for me, that God may heal and protect me from any affliction, should it be His will, and that I may trust entirely in Him, as you modeled so courageously.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, I ask you to join me today in praying for everyone impacted by cancer, a truly awful disease. Pope Francis <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/05/29/230529a.html">once reminded</a> pediatric cancer patients, “Very often, in life, we find ourselves in the situation of not having the strength to go forward. But you are never alone! Jesus is always close to you.” St. Peregrine, pray for everyone whose lives have been changed by cancer. May they feel Jesus walking side by side with them on their journey. I also ask for you to pray for this special intention of mine: (state your intention).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, to whom many miracles are attributed, pray that God may grant this request. Pray also that despite the suffering I face, I can surrender myself to God’s will.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-hail-mary/">Hail Mary</a>..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-our-father/">Our Father</a>…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Glory Be…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-2">Day 2 - For those undergoing tests&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Dearest St. Peregrine, faithful servant of God, I come to you today humbly seeking your intercession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, patron of those battling cancer and other disease, you devoted your life entirely to God, tirelessly tending to God’s children battling sickness and poverty and constantly preaching His word. I beseech thee, o mighty St. Peregrine, to pray for me, that God may heal and protect me from any affliction, should it be His will, and that I may trust entirely in Him, as you modeled so courageously.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, I ask you to join me today in praying for all of those who are undergoing medical tests and awaiting more information about their condition. Pray that God gives them strength amid uncertainty and comfort amid chaos. When they feel overwhelmed by simply not knowing, pray that they find solace in knowing that God has a plan for their life. I also ask for you to pray for this special intention of mine: (state your intention).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, to whom many miracles are attributed, pray that God may grant this request. Pray also that despite the suffering I face, I can surrender myself to God’s will.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Hail Mary..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Our Father…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Glory Be…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-3">Day 3 - For those recently diagnosed with cancer</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Dearest St. Peregrine, faithful servant of God, I come to you today humbly seeking your intercession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, patron of those battling cancer and other disease, you devoted your life entirely to God, tirelessly tending to God’s children battling sickness and poverty and constantly preaching His word. I beseech thee, o mighty St. Peregrine, to pray for me, that God may heal and protect me from any affliction, should it be His will, and that I may trust entirely in Him, as you modeled so courageously.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, I ask you to join me today in praying for those who have recently been diagnosed with cancer. A cancer diagnosis can feel like an entire world turning upside down, like the disciples felt in the tumultuous waters of the Sea of Galilee. St. Peregrine, for those who have just been diagnosed with cancer, pray that they feel Jesus extending His arm, reaching out to them to calm the storm in their life. Pray they feel Jesus shepherding them through these frightening times. I also ask for you to pray for this special intention of mine: (state your intention).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, to whom many miracles are attributed, pray that God may grant this request. Pray also that despite the suffering I face, I can surrender myself to God’s will.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Hail Mary..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Our Father…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Glory Be…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.&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/stperegrinenovena">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-4">Day 4 - For those whose cancer has returned</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Dearest St. Peregrine, faithful servant of God, I come to you today humbly seeking your intercession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, patron of those battling cancer and other disease, you devoted your life entirely to God, tirelessly tending to God’s children battling sickness and poverty and constantly preaching His word. I beseech thee, o mighty St. Peregrine, to pray for me, that God may heal and protect me from any affliction, should it be His will, and that I may trust entirely in Him, as you modeled so courageously.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, I ask you to join me today in praying for those whose cancer has returned: those who have already faced this ugly disease and who prepare to battle it again. Pray that they may not tire in their journey. St. Peregrine, pray that they will trust in God, as you did. I also ask for you to pray for this special intention of mine: (state your intention).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, to whom many miracles are attributed, pray that God may grant this request. Pray also that despite the suffering I face, I can surrender myself to God’s will.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Hail Mary..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Our Father…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Glory Be…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-5">Day 5 - For the families and friends of those battling cancer</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Dearest St. Peregrine, faithful servant of God, I come to you today humbly seeking your intercession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, patron of those battling cancer and other disease, you devoted your life entirely to God, tirelessly tending to God’s children battling sickness and poverty and constantly preaching His word. I beseech thee, o mighty St. Peregrine, to pray for me, that God may heal and protect me from any affliction, should it be His will, and that I may trust entirely in Him, as you modeled so courageously.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, I ask you to join me today in praying for those impacted by cancer second hand–the family and friends of cancer patients, who support their loved ones on this difficult path while struggling with the challenges and helplessness of seeing someone close to them suffer. Pray that they, too, will feel comfort as they seek to provide comfort to the afflicted. I also ask for you to pray for this special intention of mine: (state your intention).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, to whom many miracles are attributed, pray that God may grant this request. Pray also that despite the suffering I face, I can surrender myself to God’s will.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Hail Mary..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Our Father…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Glory Be…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-6">Day 6 - For doctors, nurses and caretakers&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Dearest St. Peregrine, faithful servant of God, I come to you today humbly seeking your intercession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, patron of those battling cancer and other disease, you devoted your life entirely to God, tirelessly tending to God’s children battling sickness and poverty and constantly preaching His word. I beseech thee, o mighty St. Peregrine, to pray for me, that God may heal and protect me from any affliction, should it be His will, and that I may trust entirely in Him, as you modeled so courageously.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, I ask you to join me today in praying for all of those to whom those battling cancer are entrusted for care: doctors, nurses, caretakers and others. Pray that God guides their minds to offer the best treatment possible and that He blesses them with strength and endurance. I also ask for you to pray for this special intention of mine: (state your intention).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, to whom many miracles are attributed, pray that God may grant this request. Pray also that despite the suffering I face, I can surrender myself to God’s will.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Hail Mary..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Our Father…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Glory Be…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-7">Day 7 - For scientists and researchers seeking cures and treatments</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Dearest St. Peregrine, faithful servant of God, I come to you today humbly seeking your intercession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, patron of those battling cancer and other disease, you devoted your life entirely to God, tirelessly tending to God’s children battling sickness and poverty and constantly preaching His word. I beseech thee, o mighty St. Peregrine, to pray for me, that God may heal and protect me from any affliction, should it be His will, and that I may trust entirely in Him, as you modeled so courageously.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, I ask you to join me today in praying for scientists and researchers who seek to put an end to cancer as well as create more effective ways to treat this terrible disease. Through your intercession, may God bless with wisdom, knowledge, and strength those who have devoted their lives to seeking an end to cancer so that we may soon have a cure. I also ask for you to pray for this special intention of mine: (state your intention).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, to whom many miracles are attributed, pray that God may grant this request. Pray also that despite the suffering I face, I can surrender myself to God’s will.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Hail Mary..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Our Father…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Glory Be…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-8">Day 8 - For those near the end of their battle with cancer</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Dearest St. Peregrine, faithful servant of God, I come to you today humbly seeking your intercession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, patron of those battling cancer and other disease, you devoted your life entirely to God, tirelessly tending to God’s children battling sickness and poverty and constantly preaching His word. I beseech thee, o mighty St. Peregrine, to pray for me, that God may heal and protect me from any affliction, should it be His will, and that I may trust entirely in Him, as you modeled so courageously.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, I ask you to join me today in praying for those who are near the end of their battle with this horrific disease. Pray, St. Peregrine, that though their body may be weakened by cancer, that their faith may remain strong. Pray that they can feel Jesus walking alongside them as they cross from this world to the next. Pray that God will grant them peace and comfort to their families. I also ask for you to pray for this special intention of mine: (state your intention).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, to whom many miracles are attributed, pray that God may grant this request. Pray also that despite the suffering I face, I can surrender myself to God’s will.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Hail Mary..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Our Father…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Glory Be…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.&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/stperegrinenovena">Pray Novenas on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="day-9">Day 9 - For the pursuit of sainthood</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Dearest St. Peregrine, faithful servant of God, I come to you today humbly seeking your intercession.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, patron of those battling cancer and other disease, you devoted your life entirely to God, tirelessly tending to God’s children battling sickness and poverty and constantly preaching His word. I beseech thee, o mighty St. Peregrine, to pray for me, that God may heal and protect me from any affliction, should it be His will, and that I may trust entirely in Him, as you modeled so courageously.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, I ask you to join me today in praying that we live our lives like saints, as we are all called to do. You modeled this in your life. Pray that it may inspire me. I also ask for you to pray for this special intention of mine: (state your intention).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">St. Peregrine, to whom many miracles are attributed, pray that God may grant this request. Pray also that despite the suffering I face, I can surrender myself to God’s will.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Hail Mary..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Our Father…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One Glory Be…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Amen.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If you enjoyed Hallow’s St. Peregrine novena, consider praying other novenas, like the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-surrender-novena/">Surrender Novena</a>, <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-st-jude-novena/">St. Jude Novena</a>, and the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-sacred-heart-novena/">Sacred Heart Novena</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> [post_title] => St. Peregrine Novena: How to Pray [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => st-peregrine-novena [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-09-09 16:15:40 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-09-09 16:15:40 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=66108 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 65631 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-08-28 19:53:44 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-08-28 19:53:44 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Peace is fundamental to the Christian faith. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the book of the prophet Isaiah, long before Jesus’s birth, we learn of his title of Prince of Peace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>“For a child, is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” </em>~ Isaiah 9:5</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In the Gospels, Jesus Himself tells us that he offers us peace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.</em> ~ John 14:27</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We logically <em>know</em> Jesus brings us peace. Yet, both in the world around us and inside our own hearts and minds, it is sometimes difficult to recognize that peace. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Here are some prayers you can use to pray for peace, whether you’re seeking peace in our world or peace in your mind.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prayers-for-peace">Prayers for Peace</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow created these simple prayers for peace that you can pray to ask God for peace on earth, in the many forms that that takes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If you are using these prayers in a group setting, simply change the singular pronouns (“I” and “me”) to plural ones (like “we” and “us”).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You may also find these prayers helpful for praying for peace within families.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Heavenly Father, you created the earth, the sun, and all of the life that dwells here as part of your creation. I pray that your Holy Spirit may move the hearts of all of Your children toward a radical form of peace that rejects violence and oppression. I understand, o Lord, that conflicts have existed for centuries and can seem impossibly complex and without hope. However, You are a God of peace and healing. Through You, all things are possible. Heal our world. May Your Kingdom come. Amen.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>God of peace and justice, I turn to You today with a heavy heart, overwhelmed by the division and unrest that distances us from each other–and from You. Soften the hearts of those who see their brother as “other”. Remind us all that you call us to live in harmony with each other. May pride never overtake us. May we live to serve, putting others before ourselves. God, may Your peace reign now and forever. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Dear God, we know you have conquered the world, including death, and all of the evil that sometimes feels like it surrounds us. In moments like this, where I desperately seek peace, I pray that I can take comfort in Your promise and place my trust in You. I pray that I not only feel Your love but that I become an instrument of it, extending Your loving embrace to those whose lives are most shattered by the sins of violence. In Your name I pray. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Holy Spirit come, guide us towards the way of peace. Lead us to build God’s kingdom here on earth. Set our hearts ablaze with a fire for justice. Strengthen us in our mission to follow the path that God leads us toward. I pray for hope, I pray for kindness, I pray for justice. I pray for all these things as I pray for peace. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Related prayers: </em><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-to-the-holy-spirit/"><em>Prayers to the Holy Spirit</em></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prayers-for-peace-of-mind-nbsp">Prayers for Peace of Mind&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Sometimes the peace we desire has less to do with what’s happening out in the world, and what’s happening in the complicated space inside our heads.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If you’ve ever been overcome by worrying, overthinking, restlessness or any other feelings that have left you feeling unsettled, you know that peace of mind is not always easy to come by.&nbsp;</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/prayersforpeace">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Consider these short prayers whenever you need peace of mind, whether you’re lying in bed struggling to sleep or feeling a lack of peace amid the busyness of your day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>When my mind races and my heart is unsettled, Lord, I turn to you. Settle my uneasy mind and strengthen me that I may fix my eyes on You and the promise of eternal life secured through Jesus’s victory over death. I love You, Lord, and I trust in You. In Your name I pray. Amen.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Heavenly Father, Your love for me knows no bounds. You sent Your Son so that I may live forever with you in heaven. Right now, heaven feels far away, and I struggle to feel the peace that I know You provide. Let my mind be calm, my heart be still. Help me to feel Your presence with me now. Clear my mind of worries and fill it with the peace only You provide. In gratitude I pray. Amen.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Jesus, you calmed the stormy waters in the Sea of Galilee. I imagine how the disciples felt in the boat, far from the safety of dry land, dealing with choppy, turbulent waves, unable to feel peace. It’s a feeling I relate to now. I turn to You as I navigate the storm in my mind and ask You to make it still. Grant me peace, that I may feel rest. You are with me in stormy waters just like You are in the beautiful, still waters of my life. No matter the storm around me, grant that my mind may feel Your peace, trusting in You entirely.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-papal-prayers-for-peace-in-the-world">Papal Prayers for Peace in the World</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Across centuries, the Holy See has led the faithful around the world in prayers for peace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Sometimes, this has been in response to specific instances of war and violence around the world.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Other times, these prayers for peace have been general invocations aiming to help God’s peace flourish here on earth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The amazing thing about these prayers from popes is that, while they are rooted in specific periods of time, they feel just as relevant today in many ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Consider <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xv/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xv_exh_19150728_fummo-chiamati.html">the words below,</a> the concluding lines of a prayer from St. Benedict XVI in 1915, following the outbreak of World War I:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>This is the cry of peace which breaks forth from Our heart with added vehemence on this mournful day; and We invite all, whosoever are the friends of peace the world over, to give Us a helping hand in order to hasten the termination of the war, which for a long year has changed Europe into one vast battlefield. May the merciful Jesus, through the intercession of His Sorrowful Mother, grant that at last, after so horrible a storm, the dawn of peace may break, placid and radiant, an image of His own Divine Countenance. May hymns of thanksgiving soon rise to the Most High, the Giver of all good things, for the accomplished reconciliation of the States; may the peoples, bound in bonds of brotherly love, return to the peaceful rivalry of studies, of arts, of industries, and, with the empire of right reestablished, may they resolve from now henceforth to entrust the settlement of their differences, not to the sword's edge, but to reasons of equity and justice, pondered with due cairn and deliberation. This will be their most splendid and glorious conquest! In loving trust that the tree of peace may soon return to rejoice the world with such desirable fruits, We impart the Apostolic Benediction to all who make up the mystical flock confided to Us, and also for those, who do not yet belong to the Church of Rome, We pray the Lord to draw them close to Us in the bonds of perfect charity.</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Similarly, in 1961, Pope John XIII issued this prayer for peace during the Cold War. See the prayer in its entirety <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii/en/messages/pont_messages/1961/documents/hf_j-xxiii_mes_19610910_pace.html">here</a>, or spend in time prayer with the final section of it, featured below:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>We would extend our most urgent invitation to prayer to priests, to consecrated souls, to the innocent and to the suffering. Let us all together beg the Father of light and of grace to enlighten the minds and move the wills of those who hold the chief responsibility for the life or death of the peoples; let us pray for the peoples themselves that they may not allow themselves to be dazzled by exacerbated nationalism and destructive rivalry, and that, as We so earnestly exhorted in Our Encyclical "Mater et Magistra", the relationships in the life of human society may be reintegrated in truth, in justice and in love. Let us all pray that by means of the penetration of the Christian spirit morality may grow strong: the vigorous strength of Christian families, the source of noble power and dignity and of blessed and joyful prosperity.</em> <em>Ever and always let us pray for the peace of Christ here below, between all men of good will: "that all the families of the nations, rent asunder by the wound of sin, may be subjected to the most gentle rule of Christ."</em> <em>And finally we turn to you, O blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother also. How can we, with trembling hearts, apply ourselves to this greatest problem of life or death, which overshadows all mankind, without relying on your intercession to keep us safe from all dangers? This is your hour, Mary; to you Jesus entrusted us in the final moment of His sacrifice of blood. We are confident in your intercession.On the Eighth of September Holy Church kept the feast of your most happy birthday, hailing it as the first beginning of the world's salvation and the growth of peace. This indeed, is what we beg of you, most loving Mother and Queen of all the world. The world has no need of victorious wars and defeated peoples, but of the renewed strength of salvation and of the fruitfulness and calm of peace: this is its need and this it is for which it cries aloud: "salutis exordum; et pacis incrementum"; "the dawn of salvation and growth of peace. Amen. Amen."</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">On World Day of Peace (January 1) in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for peace through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Prince of Peace. The full prayer is <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20051213_xxxix-world-day-peace.html">available here</a>, with the ending excerpt included below:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>At the same time I ask for an increase of prayers, since peace is above all a gift of God, a gift to be implored incessantly. By God's help, our proclamation and witness to the truth of peace will be all the more convincing and illuminating. With confidence and filial abandonment let us lift up our eyes to Mary, Mother of the Prince of Peace. At the beginning of this New Year, let us ask her to help all God's People, wherever they may be, to work for peace and to be guided by the light of the truth that sets man free (cf. Jn 8:32). Through Mary's intercession, may all mankind grow in esteem for this fundamental good and strive to make it ever more present in our world, and, in this way, to offer a safer and more serene future to generations yet to come.</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 2014, Pope Francis <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/prayers/documents/papa-francesco_preghiere_20140608_invocazione-pace.html">issued an invocation for peace</a> at the Vatican Gardens. Following a trip to the Holy Land, he invited Israeli and Palestinian leaders together and called for peace, a message that certainly resonates a decade later:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>Lord God of peace, hear our prayer! We have tried so many times and over so many years to resolve our conflicts by our own powers and by the force of our arms. How many moments of hostility and darkness have we experienced; how much blood has been shed; how many lives have been shattered; how many hopes have been buried… But our efforts have been in vain. Now, Lord, come to our aid! Grant us peace, teach us peace; guide our steps in the way of peace. Open our eyes and our hearts, and give us the courage to say: “Never again war!”; “With war everything is lost”. Instil in our hearts the courage to take concrete steps to achieve peace. Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be “brother”, and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen.</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- 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/prayersforpeace">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bible-verses-for-peace">Bible Verses for Peace</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When you’re seeking peace, it can be comforting to simply spend time with the Word of God.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Here are some portions of Scripture you can reflect on and pray with during times where you’re struggling to feel peace.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Psalms are filled with beautiful words that tell of the peace that only God can provide.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pslam 124 is one such example:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">A song of ascents. Of David.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Had not the Lord been with us,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;let Israel say,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Had not the Lord been with us,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;when people rose against us,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Then they would have swallowed us alive,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;for their fury blazed against us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Then the waters would have engulfed us,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the torrent overwhelmed us;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">then seething water would have drowned us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Blessed is the Lord, who did not leave us</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;to be torn by their teeth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We escaped with our lives like a bird</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;from the fowler’s snare;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the snare was broken,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and we escaped.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our help is in the name of the Lord,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;the maker of heaven and earth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This passage from Joshua reminds us that God is faithful to His promise to us, giving His people peace “on every side.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">And so the Lord gave Israel the entire land he had sworn to their ancestors he would give them. Once they had taken possession of it, and dwelt in it, the Lord gave them peace on every side, just as he had promised their ancestors. Not one of their enemies could withstand them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their power. Not a single word of the blessing that the Lord had promised to the house of Israel failed; it all came true. ~ Joshua 21:43-45</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Consider this passage from 1 Kings, which reminds us that when everything around us feels like chaos, God is present with us in the peace of silence.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:quote {"className":""} --> <blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Then the Lord said: Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will pass by. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord—but the Lord was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire—but the Lord was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound. ~ 1 Kings 19:11-12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --></blockquote> <!-- /wp:quote --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Here are some other <a href="https://hallow.com/scripture/bible-verses-for-peace/">Bible verses for peace</a> you can pray with.</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/prayersforpeace">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- 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 you're struggling, you're never alone. God is always here for us. Here are some resources to help you begin a conversation with God in moments when you're struggling.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-strength/">Prayers for Strength</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-hope/">Prayers for Hope</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-protection/">Prayers for Protection</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-healing/">Prayers for Healing</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Prayers for Peace: Peace of Mind, Peace in the World and More [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => prayers-for-peace [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-02-20 17:46:20 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-02-20 17:46:20 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=65631 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 64883 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-08-16 20:19:33 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-08-16 20:19:33 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prayers-for-protection-table-of-contents"><strong>Prayers for Protection: Table of Contents</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#short">Short Prayers for Protection</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#violence">Protection from Violence</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="http://st-michael-prayer">St. Michael's Prayer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#guardian-angel">Guardian Angel Prayer</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#driving">Protection While Driving</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#bible-verses">Bible Verses for Protection</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Scripture gives us countless examples of God’s protection, starting with the book of Genesis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Chapter 22 of Genesis contains the famous story of God testing Abraham through Isaac’s sacrifice. Before Abraham actually harmed Isaac, God commanded Abraham to not lay a hand on his son.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">God protected Isaac. And He protected Daniel in the lion’s den. He safeguarded the Holy Family from Herod.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Today, too, God protects us. His protection and safeguarding didn’t exist only during Biblical times. He continues to watch over us today.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Pope Benedict the XVI <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2005/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20050504.html">once said</a>, “God will protect us with love at every moment, guarding our lives from every evil.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Consider these prayers for protection, which you can pray at any time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="short">Short Prayers for Protection and Safety</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>Come Holy Spirit, be my Guide. Open my eyes and move my heart to follow the path the Father calls me toward. Protect me from evil and temptation. Strengthen me that my heart may remain pure.</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>Jesus, through your sacrifice, death and Resurrection, you defeated death and secured for us the promise of eternal life. I ask you today to help me remember that as I encounter any struggles, dangers, or challenges this day here on earth. Give me courage, knowing death will never win. Give me comfort, remembering Your love for me, knowing You gave everything for me. Be with me, now and always. Amen.</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>Heavenly Father, I come to You today humbly seeking your protection, for me, my family and all of those close to me. Keep us safe while we’re awake and watch over us as we sleep. Assured of your love, I pray for the courage to live boldly, unafraid of challenges or dangers I may face. Strengthen me, O God, to follow your call to love and serve more fully than many will understand. In Your name I pray.</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><em>Lord, you are my refuge and my fortress. I place my trust in you. Be with me today and protect me from all harm. May the wings of Your angels rescue me from danger. I cling to you now and always, knowing you are near to me in moments of suffering or danger. With a grateful heart, I pray. Amen. (inspired by Psalm 91)</em></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- 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/prayersforprotection">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="violence">Prayer for Protection from Violence and Terrorism&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">To pray for protection from the thread of violence and terrorism, consider this prayer courtesy of Pope Francis. Pope Francis <a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2016/07/31/160731a.html">shared this prayer</a> in 2016 while making an <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/34286/pope-makes-unexpected-stop-at-franciscan-monastery">unexpected visit</a> to a Polish church to pray before relics of two martyrs who were victims of political violence.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">He offered the following prayer for protection from violence:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>“O almighty and merciful God, Lord of the universe and of history. All that You have created is good and your compassion for the mistakes of mankind knows no limits. We come to You today to ask You to keep in peace the world and its people, to keep far away from it the devastating wave of terrorism, to restore friendship and instill in the hearts of Your creatures the gift of trust and of readiness to forgive.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>O Giver of life, we pray to You also for all those who have died as victims of brutal terrorist attacks. Grant them their eternal reward. May they intercede for the world that is torn apart by conflicts and disagreements. O Jesus, Prince of Peace, we pray to You for the ones who have been wounded in these acts of inhuman violence: children and young people, old people and innocent people accidentally involved in evil. Heal their bodies and hearts; console them with Your strength and, at the same time, take away any hatred and a desire for revenge.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Holy Spirit Consoler, visit the families of the victims of terrorism, families that suffer through no fault of their own. Wrap them in the mantle of Your divine mercy. Make them find again in You and in themselves the strength and courage to continue to be brothers and sisters for others, above all for immigrants, giving witness to Your love by their lives.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Touch the hearts of terrorists so that they may recognise the evil of their actions and may turn to the way of peace and goodness, of respect for the life and for the dignity of every human being, regardless of religion, origin, wealth or poverty.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>O God, Eternal Father, in Your mercy hear our prayer which we raise up to You amidst the deafening noise and desperation of the world. We turn to You with great hope, full of trust in Your infinite Mercy. Made strong by the examples of the blessed martyrs of Peru, Zbigniew and Michael, who have rendered courageous testimony to the Gospel, to the point of offering their blood, we entrust ourselves to the intercession of Your Most Holy Mother. We ask for the gift of peace and of the elimination from our midst of the sore of terrorism.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="st-michael-prayer">St. Michael Prayer for Protection</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Introduced by Pope Leo XII, the St. Michael Prayer for protection is a popular prayer for both individuals as well as communities—many churches have the custom of reciting this prayer at the end of Mass, before the process.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Learn more about St. Michael and asking for his protection through the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-st-michael-chaplet/">St. Michael Chaplet</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/prayersforprotection">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="guardian-angel">Guardian Angel Prayers for Protection</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The <a href="https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/88/">catechism of the Catholic Church</a> tells us that God "beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You can ask for protection through this guardian angel prayer:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>O Most holy Angel of God, appointed by God to be my guardian, I give thee thanks for all the benefits which thou hast ever bestowed on me in body and soul. I praise and glorify thee that thou condescended to assist me with such patient fidelity, and to defend me against all the assaults of my enemy. Blessed be the hour in which thou were assigned me for my guardian, my defender and my patron. In acknowledgment and return for all thy loving ministries to me, I offer thee the infinitely precious and noble Heart of Jesus, and firmly purpose to obey thee henceforward, and most faithfully to serve my God. Amen</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Find more <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/guardian-angel-prayers/">guardian angel prayers</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="driving">Prayers for Protection While Driving</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The safety of motor vehicles <a href="https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/historical-fatality-trends/deaths-and-rates/">has improved greatly</a> since they first became popular modes of transportation. Still, we can feel dangers on the road, especially for those who drive professionally, take long road trips, or have to travel in adverse conditions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Some people have the tradition of saying a short prayer for a safe trip before embarking on their drive. Here’s a simple prayer you can use to pray for protection while driving:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>God, please help me arrive safely at my destination today. I pray also for the safety of the other drives I’ll share the road with today. Help me to be patient and attentive. Protect me from any dangerous conditions I may encounter. You’re a God of protection, who guided and kept safe the journeys of Abraham and Sarah, and Mary and Joseph. Protect me on my drive today.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers, pray for me!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="bible-verses">Bible Verses for Protection</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow has a list of <a href="https://hallow.com/scripture/bible-verses-for-protection/">Bible verses for protection</a>. There is no shortage of them!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Perhaps the most popular is Psalm 121: 7-8:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Psalm 91 is another popular Bible verse with the theme of protection:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>Say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.” He will rescue you from the fowler’s snare, from the destroying plague, He will shelter you with his pinions, and under his wings you may take refuge; his faithfulness is a protecting shield. You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day, Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon. Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, near you it shall not come. </em>Psalm 91: 2-7</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/prayersforprotection">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-praying-for-protection-in-your-own-way">Praying for Protection in Your Own Way</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If none of these prayers resonates with you, remember that you can always speak (and listen) to God in your own words.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">There’s no “right” way to ask God for protection. The words that come from your heart work completely fine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">More Prayer Resources</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-children-how-to-pray-for-your-child/">Prayers for Your Children</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 --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-hope/">Prayers for Hope</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/prayers-for-healing/">Prayers for Healing</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Prayers for Protection: Praying for Safety from Evil and Danger [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => prayers-for-protection [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-11-16 20:21:56 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-11-16 20:21:56 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=64883 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 63392 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-07-24 16:54:36 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-07-24 16:54:36 [post_content] => <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises: Table of Contents</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#contemplative-in-action">Contemplative in Action</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#god-in-all-things">God in All Things</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#daily-examen">Daily Examen</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#overview">Spiritual Exercises Overview</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#what-happens">What Happens in the Spiritual Excersies</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="http://resources-on-hallow">Ignatian Resources on Hallow</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It may have been the most fortuitous cannonball in history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 1521, a cannonball shattered the right leg of <a href="https://hallow.com/saints/ignatius-loyola/">Ignatius of Loyola</a> and also damaged his left leg.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As his right leg healed, it did so in an unsightly, unattractive way. <a href="https://ignatiansolidarity.net/blog/2021/05/20/cannonball-moments-year-of-ignatius/">Ignatius’s vanity</a> led him to have his leg completely reset so it could heal without the slightest deformity.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">During his recovery period, Ignatius read a book about the life of Christ as well as a book about saints, and his conversion began.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One single cannonball gave the world a great saint, a new religious order (the Society of Jesus, known as “The Jesuits”), and one of the greatest Christian spiritual traditions we have: Ignatian spirituality.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="contemplative-in-action">Contemplative in Action</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Being a “contemplative in action” is a simple way to describe Ignatian spirituality.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Contemplative” refers to being mindful of how God is reaching out to us and leading us. “In Action” refers to taking this “contemplation” and using it to respond today, in this world, to the needs of our brothers and sisters and to how God guides us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In other words, in Ignatian spirituality, spending time with God and discerning His call does not lead us to isolation from the world. Instead, it calls us into the world. Contemplation leads to action—acts of love.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/april/documents/papa-francesco_20150430_comunita-vita-cristiana.pdf">In a 2015 address</a>, Pope Francis discussed contemplative in action, saying the following:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>We can speak a lot about theology, a lot… good things, speak about God… but the way is being able to contemplate Jesus Christ, to read the Gospel, what Jesus Christ did: It’s He, the Lord! Fall in love with Jesus Christ and say to Jesus Christ that you choose to follow Him, to be like Him. And this is done through prayer and touching the wounds of the Lord. You will never know Jesus Christ if you don’t touch his injuries, his wounds.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Being contemplative in action reflects the reality that God is very much present in our world, in big and small things.</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/spiritualexercises">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="god-in-all-things">God in All Things</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/ignatian-spirituality/finding-god-in-all-things/">According to Loyola Press</a>, what rests at the core of Ignatian Spirituality is “finding God in all things.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This means that we don’t just recognize God while we are at Mass and through His presence in the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/eucharist-holy-communion-adoration-prayer/">Eucharist</a>. Rather, finding God in all things calls us to open our eyes to God being with us throughout our days, in good times and in bad, and often in moments where we don’t expect to feel His presence.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The foundation of this belief is that God is active in our world. God is not distant and removed from us. He’s present in our joys and sorrows, our best moments and our lowest.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We can better appreciate God’s presence around us each day through another core element of Ignatian Spirituality: the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-examen/">daily examen</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="daily-examen">Daily Examen&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Our days can often feel like a blur. We wake up and are busy from when we crawl out of bed until the time we nod off into sleep.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If we don’t take time to review our days–and the conversations, experiences and feelings we have–it can be easy to miss how God is present in our lives, and perhaps more importantly, where He is leading us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When we reflect on our day, we can notice where we experience feelings of consolation and desolation, sometimes called <a href="https://thejesuitpost.org/2022/03/jesuit-101-consolation-and-desolation/">discernment of spirits</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Daily Examen helps us unpack our days and be more aware of how God is moving in our daily lives and where our hearts feel most alive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It has a simple format:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Beginning by giving thanks to God</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Reviewing your day and the moments that stand out</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Talk to God about your feelings throughout the day; ask for forgiveness for times you missed the mark</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Looking ahead to the next day and asking God for what we need</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It takes just a few minutes on any given day to pray the daily examen. A more in-depth form of prayer that Ignatian spirituality gives us is the Spiritual Exercises.</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/spiritualexercises">Try the Daily Examen on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="overview">Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Perhaps the greatest contribution that St. Ignatius gave to our spiritual lives remains his spiritual exercises.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">What we now know as Ignatius’s spiritual exercises started out as his own personal journal before he eventually realized the universal nature of some of the truths and experiences that he was discovering.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The full spiritual exercises traditionally take place as a <a href="https://ignatiushouse.org/why-attend-retreat/retreat-formats-2/">30-day retreat</a>, broken down into four weeks with different themes and areas of focus. This 30-day (sometimes 28-day) retreat is part of the formation of men pursuing a vocation with the Jesuits.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Since it’s difficult for many of us to leave our daily routines for a full month, the full spiritual exercises have been adapted into the “<a href="https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/offices/mission-ministry/sites/center-for-ignatian-spirituality/prayer/19th-annotation.html">19th Annotation</a>,” sometimes called the “retreat for daily life.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One thing that is true in both forms of the retreat is that Ignatius’s spiritual exercises were intended to guide the retreat director, not the retreatant. Therefore, while you can read the writings of Ignatius, it’s best to pursue the spiritual exercises under the guidance of someone trained in the exercises.</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/spiritualexercises">Pray the Spiritual Exercises on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-happens">What Happens During the Spiritual Exercises?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But what exactly happens during the spiritual exercises?&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J., <a href="https://www.joelaramiesj.com/st-ignatius-spiritual-exercises">explains</a>, “In some sections of the Exercises, Ignatius plunges us into the mystery of sin and evil. In other parts, he helps us to contemplate the love and power of Christ by engaging our emotions and imaginations.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In practice, this looks like spending time with Scripture and imagining ourselves in certain Gospel scenes through <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/contemplative-prayer-imaginative-prayer/">imaginative prayer</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Entering into prayer in the Scriptures is the basic pillar of the spiritual exercises, according to Fr. Timothy Gallagher.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“There are other actions in the spiritual exercises, but the main one is to pray over and over again through the days with Scripture.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Even if we have heard these passages many times, Ignatian contemplation through the spiritual exercises can allow God to reveal new details to us.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Ignatian contemplation allows us to see stories that we may have heard countless times with new eyes,” <a href="https://thejesuitpost.org/2021/10/jesuit-101-ignatian-contemplation-encountering-god-through-our-imagination/">says</a> Jesuit Tucker Redding, S.J. “We might notice different details, ask new questions, and find ways that God is speaking directly to us.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="resources-on-hallow">Explore Ignatian Spirituality on Hallow</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow offers a number of prayers and meditations rooted in Ignatian spirituality, including the daily examen, discernment of spirits (consolation and desolation) with Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J., and the full four-week spiritual exercises led by <a href="https://www.frtimothygallagher.org/">Fr. Timothy Gallagher</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/spiritualexercises">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-prayer-resources">More Prayer Resources</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class=""><!-- 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-lectio-divina/">How to Pray Lection Divina</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-surrender-novena/">How to Pray the Surrender Novena</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/litany-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-litany-of-loreto/">Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Ignatian Spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => ignatian-spirituality-and-the-spiritual-exercises [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-07-24 16:54:42 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-07-24 16:54:42 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=63392 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )

WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 62536 [post_author] => 32 [post_date] => 2024-07-11 20:23:01 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-07-11 20:23:01 [post_content] => <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bible-study-guide">Bible Study Guide</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">(Click to jump to any section)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Bible History and Overview</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#what-is">What is the Bible?</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#books">How the Bible was constructed + Bible books</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#languages">Languages and St. Jerome</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#popes">Pope Leo XII and Pope Pius XII</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#chapters-verses">Books, Chapters and Verses</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#literal">Is the Bible literal?</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#what-bible-isnt">What the Bible is *not*</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><strong>Bible Study Tools</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#getting-started">Getting started</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#taking-notes">Taking notes</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#exegesis">Exegesis and Bible study tools</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#daily-bible-study">Bible in a Year / Daily Bible study</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#lectio-divina">Lectio Divina </a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="#prayers">Bible study prayers</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible is inspiring, motivational, life-changing and world-changing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">For many of us, it can also be just a bit intimidating. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">That’s partially because, while we can know Jesus, it can be intimidating to consider many of the books and passages of the Bible or how it might reference people or places we’re unfamiliar with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Yet studying the Bible and letting God’s word soften our hearts can be one of the most enriching aspects of our faith lives. It can bring us closer to God and help us to understand Him better.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Learning about the Bible, where it came from, what it means, and how to learn it better can make it more inviting.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Hallow’s goal is to help the world pray more. While entire books are written on topics like how the Bible came about, the importance of Bible study and how to spend time with Scripture, Hallow offers this brief overview of the Bible as a resource to help beginners knock down any barriers to the Bible and start studying and praying with it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>But the Bible is not a beautiful collection of sacred books to study – it is the Word of Life to be sown, the gift that the Risen Christ asks to be gathered and distributed so that there may be life in His name. - </em><a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/04/26/190426f.html#:~:text=But%20the%20Bible%20is%20not,an%20indispensable%20injection%20of%20life."><em>Pope Francis</em></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/biblestudy">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bible-history-and-overview">Bible: History and Overview</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-is">What Is the Bible?</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible sits at the center of the Christian faith.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It is a divinely inspired text that tells the story of God’s relationship with humanity and how salvation unfolds over the course of history, culminating with Jesus’s death and Resurrection.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible was physically written by a number of authors, but it was written by God in the sense that it was inspired by the Holy Spirit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">It’s not that God took physical command of the authors’ hands and penned the words Himself. Rather, the Holy Spirit animated different people in different communities over the course of centuries to produce&nbsp; the Canon of Scripture we hold sacred today.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The books of the Old Testament were written across hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. The Gospels were written roughly 50 years after Jesus died.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="books">How the Bible Was Constructed + Books of the Bible</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible is hardly a singular work but rather a book containing numerous smaller books.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">John W. Miller, author of How the Bible Came to Be: Exploring the Narrative and Message, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=MmKLDwAAQBAJ&amp;">tells us that</a> “the Bible contains words and writings of numerous prophets, apostles, poets, sages and historians who lived over many centuries.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <iframe title="When Old Testmanent Books Likely Were Written" aria-label="Range Plot" id="datawrapper-chart-fozVk" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/fozVk/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="999" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}(); </script> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The USCCB <a href="https://www.usccb.org/bible/understanding-the-bible">describes the Bible</a> as a “library” rather than a book.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible is divided into the Old Testament (including the Torah/Pentateuch–the first five books of the Bible) and New Testament. Each of these contains different books. But they are united in one main story of God communicating to us, and much of what is foretold in the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Catholic Bible has 73 books, 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Some may have learned that the Catholic Bible has 72 books. The difference lies in whether the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations are considered one book or two distinct works. As Father Kenneth Doyle of Catholic News Services <a href="https://catholicphilly.com/2012/08/catholic-spirituality/how-many-books-are-there-in-the-bible/">points out</a>, the most commonly used translations by Catholics count them as two separate works, thus the 73 number.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Different councils and synods determined the books and the “canon” of books is slightly different for Catholic and Protestant Bibles. For example, the Catholic Bible contains the books Baruch, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Sirach and Tobit, which do not appear in Protestant Bibles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When you attend church, each reading is from a different book of the Bible (e.g., “A Reading from the Book of Exodus..”)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="languages">Languages of the Bible and St. Jerome</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The various books of the Bible were written in one of three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Many graduate programs in Biblical studies offer (or require!) students to learn one of these languages to enrich their academic studies of Scripture.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The average person does not need to know any language other than their own in order to study the Bible, deepen their understanding of scripture, and strengthen their relationship with God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <div class="flourish-embed flourish-hierarchy" data-src="visualisation/18692547"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script></div> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Bible translations are always being revised and improved. The Vatican <a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/index.htm">recommends</a> relying on your local conference of bishops for the best translations for different languages and countries (there are multiple approved translations.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://hallow.com/saints/jerome/">St. Jerome</a>, with his Latin translation (known as the “Vulgate”), is often credited with being the first to translate the Bible from its original texts. <a href="https://www.stjeromeonline.org/history-of-st-jerome.html">It inspired</a> the King James Version, which has been used a thousand years later.&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/biblestudy">Try Hallow for Free</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="popes">Pope Leo XII and Pope Pius XII: Encyclicals on Scripture Studies</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In 1893, Pope Leo XII’s <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_18111893_providentissimus-deus.html">Providentissimus Deus</a> quotes Psalm 119, regarding the virtue of studying Scripture, “Blessed are they who examine His testimonies; they shall seek Him with their whole heart.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fifty years later, Pope Pius XII released the encyclical <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_30091943_divino-afflante-spiritu.html">Divino Afflante Spiritu</a>, another critical document in support of studying Scripture.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“For what is more sublime than to scrutinize, explain, propose to the faithful and defend from unbelievers the very word of God, communicated to men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?” wrote Pope Pius XII.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/100/biblical-scholarship-50-years-after-divino-afflante-spiritu">The document</a> “provided the stimulus for a development of genuine biblical scholarship within Catholicism, especially in the United States.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Decades later, at the Second Vatican Council, document Verbum Dei “moved the Bible to the center of the Catholic life,” <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/news/dei-verbum-moved-the-bible-to-the-center-of-catholic-life">as one Biblical scholar put it</a>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="chapters-verses">Reading the Bible: Books, Chapters and Verses</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When you see references to Scripture, they usually contain words and numbers. If you’re new to the Bible, it may not be clear what these refer to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The word refers to the book within the Bible that contains the text. “Books” is a term that also includes portions of the Bible that we also refer to as “Letters” or “Gospel” (e.g., “a reading from the Gospel of Mark”; “a reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The first number after the name of the book refers to that book’s chapter. The following numbers refer to the specific verse or verses in that chapter. They are usually separated by a colon (“ : “). When referring to a passage longer than one verse, a dash (“ – ”) is used to indicate the range of verses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The graphic below shows a portion of the Gospel of Matthew inside the Hallow app.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As an example of how books, chapters and verses identify very specific lines of the Bible, Mark 2: 1–2 would refer to the following text:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><em>When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"className":""} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXcNeb62aux4hKwhqjGwwBoP6_GWcnt8lIEGmw_nBUw0UuN579JCVJteVt5d0JZio8-EGBkAYyJggW5MZ_61JGe3Wh87x8umdzuwEXjYS2SW-Wy4F-ZFhJQlnJloKDrVDr_lzrc8pDKZU7Iw0zdfoDM2CcpD?key=-PlH2bkGFTIodBvPq-9i8g" alt=""/></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="literal">The Bible is Literal..and Allegorical (and more)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Is the Bible meant to be taken literally?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible is indeed literal in many ways. Jesus literally died and was literally resurrected. These are not metaphors or symbols</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">However, the catechism outlines two senses of scripture- or means of interpretation. : In addition to the obvious literal sense, there is also the spiritual sense, which is divided into allegorical, moral and analogical senses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/34/">The catechism</a> illustrates these four senses through the story of Moses parting the Red Sea.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In addition to the literal understanding of the text, there’s also the allegorical understanding of Moses parting the Red Sea as a "sign or type of Christ's victory and also of Christian Baptism.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/how-to-literally-read-scripture-literally">Catholic Answers</a> points out that the passage also has a moral sense, giving us lessons for how to live (or not to live today.)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Finally, the anagogical (or mystical) sense offers up an interpretation that points the reader towards the eternal: God leading us from sin toward our heavenly home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Each of these is different, and each is correct, though not every understanding is a literal one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="what-bible-isnt">What the Bible Is Not</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible is the most important book ever, but there are many things that it <em>is not</em>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Bible is not a history book, or a journalistic work by reporters covering an event, the way we think of reporters’ work today.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Nor is it a science book, offering scientifically focused explanations for our world in the way we think of science books in our modern world.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The Catechism, which references two “senses” of Scripture (literal and spiritual), teaches that the Bible is accurate in matters of faith, and <a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html">Verbum Dei</a>, a document from Vatican II, teaches that:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“Since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings for the sake of salvation.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p id="p.lent-embed" class="">This refers to truths that the Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit, seeks to teach us, not to every single reference or reality mentioned in the Bible.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">For example, slavery is mentioned in the Bible and was present in the time and place in which much of the Bible was written. This does not mean that the Church endorses slavery today.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Finally, the Bible is not merely individual books thrown together. As the <a href="https://www.usccb.org/bible/understanding-the-bible">USCCB puts it</a>, the sum is greater than the parts. The books in the Bible make the most sense when considered together. The Bible as a whole tells the story of God’s great love for His people, and the story of humanity’s salvation unfolds and reaches a climax in Jesus.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The word “Testament," as in Old and New Testaments, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/56030/the-word-testament">means “covenant.”</a> The promises God made in the books of the Old Testament are fulfilled through Jesus.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">To quote Biblical scholar Jeff Cavins in the introduction to Bible in a Year, “There are a lot of stories in the Bible, but what about <em>The Story</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/biblestudy">Pray on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="getting-started">Bible Study - Getting Started</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Getting started with basic Bible study is simple, easy, and doesn’t have to cost a thing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You don’t even need a physical version of the Bible–you can download Hallow and enjoy the Bible within the Hallow app.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Not all books of the Bible serve the same purpose. Similarly, not all books are as easily accessible for new readers.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">We’d recommend starting with one of the Gospels–Matthew, Mark, Luke and John–and read a chapter at a time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The stories and passages may be familiar to you, but read slowly and see how a new word may stick out to you or how a line may grab your attention.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="taking-notes">Don’t Be Afraid of Taking Notes</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If you are studying a physical copy of the Bible, don’t be afraid to underline passages that stick out to you or make notes that might help you remember certain things.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">If your&nbsp; intent is to deepen your faith and understanding, it’s not a problem to write in the Bible. It might be a good idea to have one Bible reserved for this purpose specifically.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This is different than writing in or on the Bible with the purpose of defacing it or otherwise being disrespectful toward it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">As Teresa Coda of U.S. Catholic <a href="https://uscatholic.org/articles/202001/is-it-ok-to-write-in-the-bible/">puts it</a>, “Although we ought to treat the Bible with reverence—we shouldn’t be writing expletives between the lines—it’s meant to be held, examined closely, dog-eared even.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="exegesis">Exegesis and Bible Study Tools</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One way to enhance your study of the Bible is through a practice called exegesis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The book Elements of Biblical Exegesis by Michael J. Gorman defines exegesis as “the careful historical, literary, and theological analysis of a text."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Studying the history surrounding Scripture can help us better understand the important context in which a particular book was written, who wrote it, and for whom it was written.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <iframe title="When New Testmanent Books Likely Were Written" aria-label="Range Plot" id="datawrapper-chart-ByjnH" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/ByjnH/4/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="633" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}(); </script> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Biblical scholar Jeff Cavins has a bevy of resources to help place different periods of the Bible in their proper historical context. His YouTube series titled <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0QzUlsjD3k2H3o8TjHHSLrEJKg3ZPAM7">The Bible Timeline Show</a> is a good resource for this.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Scott Hahn’s <a href="https://stpaulcenter.com/studies-tools/online-studies/how-to-use-our-online-studies/#b">St. Paul Center</a> offers excellent, free Bible study tools that are also worth exploring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Exegesis also seeks to understand the words in Scripture, what they mean and why they were used.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">often, these two lenses complement each other.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">For example, consider a line from the centurion who observed Jesus’s death.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The phrase “Son of God” does not appear in Luke’s version and it helps us place Mark’s Gospel in a historical context.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Biblical scholar <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/year-of-mark">John Bergsma explains</a> that Mark sought to evangelize Roman culture, and therefore, this line and phrase helps show to his audience that “Jesus’ message and identity have been embraced by a respected member of Roman society.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Exegesis can help us gain a new appreciation for Scripture. Hallow offers Daily Exegesis, which explores the meaning of the Gospel passage each day.</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/biblestudy">Explore the Daily Exegesis on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class=""></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="daily-bible-study">Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz / Daily Bible Study</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">One way to study the Bible is to spend time reading, reflecting, and praying with it each day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">But you don’t need to read the Bible cover to cover in order to read the entire thing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Fr. Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year reading plan breaks down the Bible into 12 distinct time periods based on the timeline by Jeff Cavins:&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Early World</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Patriarchs</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Egypt and Exodus</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Desert Wanderings</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Conquest and Judges</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Royal Kingdom</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Divided Kingdom</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Exile</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Return</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Maccabean Revolt</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Messianic Fulfillment</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>The Church</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">He’s also identified the 14 “narrative” books of the Bible <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1125/2740/files/the-official-365-day-reading-plan-for-the-bible-in-a-year_2.pdf?v=1611238365">that</a> “tell the story of Scripture from beginning to end.” </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The USCCB also offers a categorization of books in the Bible:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <div class="flourish-embed flourish-hierarchy" data-src="visualisation/18689394"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script></div> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Most days of the Bible in a Year program feature a portion of Scripture from one of these 14 books of the Bible, along with segments from the other books of the Bible, placed into their proper context.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Each day also includes a selection from Psalms and Proverbs to help reflect on God’s Word in a prayerful way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">This allows someone to read the entire Bible over 365 days, but in a way that perhaps makes it easier to understand the story of salvation that unfolds across the Old and New Testaments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Bible in a Year is available on Hallow.</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/biblestudy">Try Bible in a Year on Hallow</a></div> <!-- /wp:button --></div> <!-- /wp:buttons --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="lectio-divina">Lectio Divina</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">When beginning to explore the Bible, you don’t need to set out to read it cover-to-cover. A great way to get started spending time with the Bible is through <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-lectio-divina/">Lectio Divina</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lectio Divina literally means “divine reading,” and it’s different from a group Bible study, because it’s a way of praying, and a much more personal encounter with Scripture.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">In this form of prayer, you meditate on certain Bible passages and listen to which words stand out and what God might be trying to communicate to you through Scripture.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You don’t need anything to try Lectio Divina save for some Scripture and some time with God. Choose a short portion of Scripture, only a few verses. Read it slowly once, hold it in your mind, and listen for what God might be trying to tell you. What word stands out? What might that mean? Read the passage once or twice more and just be present with God.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Lectio Divina is actually <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/the-hallow-story/">responsible for Hallow’s name</a>. Our CEO tried Lectio Divina for the first time and the word “hallow” stood out to him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="prayers">Prayers to Begin and Conclude Bible Study</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Focus the time you spend with Scripture on deepening your relationship with God by beginning and closing your Bible study in prayer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Consider the following short prayers to begin your Bible study session:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“Heavenly Father, help me hear Your voice today. May Your Word soften my heart so I may better follow You. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>“God of all creation, your Holy Spirit inspired this divine Word. As I read the Bible today, may Your Spirit inspire me, setting my heart ablaze with a desire to build Your kingdom here on earth.”</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">To close, you can simply pray the <a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-our-father/">Lord’s Prayer</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-most-important-part-of-bible-study-is-getting-started">The Most Important Part of Bible Study Is Getting Started</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">No one is going to become a Biblical scholar overnight, and it’s unlikely (though certainly not impossible) that you'll gain some life-changing wisdom or insight the first time you crack open your Bible.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">You may not think you’re doing Bible study “the right way”--whatever that means.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">The reality is that simply having a desire to spend time with God’s Word, and acting on that desire, is a wonderful starting point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"className":""} --> <p class="">Trust in God’s ability to reach you through His Word and enjoy the journey of opening up your mind and heart to Scripture.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"className":""} --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-bible-study-resources">More Bible Study Resources</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list {"className":""} --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/scripture/bible-verses-for-hope/">Bible Verses for Hope</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/scripture/bible-verses-for-peace/">Bible Verses for Peace</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/scripture/bible-verses-for-love/">Bible Verses for Love</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/parables-of-jesus/">Guide to Jesus’s Parables</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li><a href="https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-gospels/">How to Pray with the Gospels</a></li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> [post_title] => Bible Study Guide: How to Study the Bible (for Beginners) [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => bible-study-guide-for-beginners [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2025-03-26 00:27:39 [post_modified_gmt] => 2025-03-26 00:27:39 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://hallow.com/?p=62536 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw )