There is a special group of persons in the Church who have
publicly professed the Vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience
in various Religious Institutes. We call these priests, brothers
and sisters by a common name: “Religious.”
Some of us were taught by Religious in Catholic schools or
parish religious education programs . . . have been cared by
them in hospitals or nursing homes . . . have contributed our
prayers and financial resources to their missions in far-flung
countries or in a city or rural area only a few minutes from our
front door . . . have a bishop-Religious as the Chief Shepherd
of our diocese or a priest-Religious as the pastor of our
parish.
Over the
centuries, millions of Religious have imitated Jesus Christ in
their sincere love of and generous service to His Bride the
Church. Do we pray for them, both living and deceased? Do we ask
our compassionate Lord to bless them and their efforts on our
behalf? Do we beg the Good Shepherd to provide young men and
women to take the place of our Religious?
Here is a Holy Hour of prayer for our Religious. It may be used
in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament, whether exposed
in the monstrance or reserved in the tabernacle, or at home. The
prayers listed are suggestions that may be replaced by other
suitable prayers.
May God be pleased with our prayer and protect our Religious!
HOLY HOUR OF PRAYER FOR OUR RELIGIOUS PRIESTS, BROTHERS AND
SISTERS
(for private use)
In the Name of the Father (+), and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
O Most Blessed Trinity, thank You for Your presence. I love You
and wish to serve You all the days of my life. Father, Son and
Holy Spirit, I come before You to pray for our Religious
priests, brothers and sisters. Hear me, O Lord, and answer me.
Amen.
A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians
(4:1-6)
“I plead with you, as a prisoner for the Lord, to live a
life worthy of the calling you have received, with perfect
humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another
lovingly. Make every effort to preserve the unity which has the
Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force. There is
but one body and one Spirit, just as there is but one hope given
all of you by your call. There is one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, Who is over all, and works
through all, and is in all.”
Psalm (1)
“Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of
the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the
company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders His law day and night.
He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never
fade; and all that he does shall prosper. Not so are the wicked,
not so!
For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by the wind.
When the wicked are judged they shall not stand, nor find room
among those who are just; for the Lord guards the way of the
just but the way of the wicked leads to doom.”
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew
(19:16-30)
“Now someone approached Him and said, “Teacher, what good
must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you
ask Me about the good? There is only One Who is good. If you
wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him,
“Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “‘You shall not kill; you shall
not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear
false witness; honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you
shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The young man said to
Him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus
said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have
and give to (the) poor, and you will you have treasure in
Heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for
he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples,
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to
enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the
eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of
God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly
astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at
them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God
all things are possible.” Then Peter said to Him in reply, “We
have given up everything and followed You. What will there be
for us?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who
have followed Me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated
on His throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given
up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children
or lands for the sake of My Name will receive a hundred times
more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will
be last, and the last will be first.”
(Reflect on these three readings from Sacred Scripture, asking
the Holy Spirit to enlighten you in your own pilgrimage of faith
and to give new life to all His Religious.)
THE MOST HOLY ROSARY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
O Mary, Our Holy
Mother in Heaven you who were the chaste spouse of Saint Joseph,
I lift up in prayer all Religious priests, brothers and sisters.
You are the human person who best exemplifies the consecration
to your Divine Son that all Religious make in their Profession
of the
Vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. Guard your Religious
from harm; ask your Master and ours to defend them and
illuminate them.
(Choose the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful or Glorious Mysteries as
you ask Our Blessed Lady to cover all Religious with her mantle
of love and fidelity.)
SILENT ADORATION OF THE LORD
Lord God, I adore You . . . I ask pardon of You for my sins . .
. I thank You for all that You have done for me, my family, the
Church, the world and all Religious, both living and deceased .
. . I recommend these my special petitions to You.
(Place yourself in God’s embrace for an extended period.)
INTERCEDING FOR RELIGIOUS
Dear God, I present to you all Religious priests, brothers and
sisters and their concerns.
I pray for young and elderly Religious, temporarily professed
and perpetually professed Religious, healthy and ill Religious,
tranquil and upset Religious.
I pray for those Religious who are confident in Your love and
mercy, those Religious who are tempted, those Religious who are
confused.
I pray for those Religious who are in foreign lands as
missionaries, those Religious whose spiritual or physical lives
are in danger.
I pray for happy and sad Religious, devout and lax Religious,
faithful and unfaithful Religious.
I pray for those young men and women who have a vocation to the
Religious Life, those who know it, those who pursue it, those
who do not know it and those who resist it.
I pray for all Candidates, Aspirants, Postulants and Novices in
Religious Institutes.
I pray for all deceased Religious priests, brothers and sisters.
Merciful Jesus, You Who are true God and true man, grant to them
the rewards of their labors!
Our Father
Instructed, O Lord, by Your saving precepts, and following Your
divine institution, I dare to say: Our Father, Who art in
Heaven, hallowed by Thy Name…
O Most Blessed Trinity, thank You for this Holy Hour. Refreshed
in Your love, I renew my commitment to pray for Your special
friends—all Religious priests, brothers and sisters. May they be
secure in their witness to Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. May
they be strong in their living of the Communal Life with their
brothers or sisters. May they place You and Your Kingdom above
all other considerations. Hear me, O Lord, and answer me. Amen.
In the Name of the Father (+), and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
Imprimatur: John Clement Favalora, D.D.
Archbishop of Miami
April 4, 2007
First printing: April 2007
Second printing: July 2007
This can be ordered in pamphlet form from:
Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary
3098 S.W. 14th St. Miami, FL 33145
www.piercedhearts.org
