"I will extol thee, O Lord, for thou hast drawn me up, and hast not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to thee for help, and thou hast healed me. O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity, ‘I shall never be moved.’ By thy favor, O Lord, thou hadst established me as a strong mountain; thou didst hide thy face, I was dismayed.

To thee, O Lord, I cried; and to the Lord I made supplication; ‘What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise thee? Will it tell of thy faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be thou my helper!’

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, that my soul may praise thee and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever."

Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version Bible, Catholic Edition, copyright ©1965 & 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.



Suggested Prayer #3:

My soul, give thanks to the Lord, all my being, bless His holy name. My soul, give thanks to the Lord and never forget all His blessings. It is He who forgives all your guilt, who heals every one of your ills, Who redeems your life from the grave, who crowns you with love and compassion, Who fills your life with good things, renewing your youth like an eagle’s. The Lord does deeds of justice, gives judgment for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses and His deeds to Israel’s sons. The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. His wrath will come to an end, He will not be angry forever. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth so strong is His love for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our sins. As a father has compassion on his sons the Lord has pity on those who fear Him. For He knows of what we are made, He remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flowers like the flower of the field; The wind blows and he is gone and his place never sees him again. But the love of the Lord is everlasting upon those who hold Him in fear; His justice reaches out to children’s children when they keep His covenant in truth, when they keep His will in their mind. The Lord has set His sway in heaven, and His kingdom is ruling over all. Give thanks to the Lord, all His angels, mighty in power, fulfilling His word, who heed the voice of His word. Give thanks to the Lord, all His hosts, His servants who do His will. Give thanks to the Lord, all His works, in every place where He rules. My soul, give thanks to the Lord.

Catholic Prayer Book with Meditations

Father John A. Hardon, S.J.

Eternal Life, Bardstown, Kentucky

Copyright © 1999 Inter Mirifica    Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Suggested Prayer #4:

Prayer Before Christ in the Monstrance

by Marty Barrack

Copyright © Martin K Barrack 2000. All rights reserved.

This is the prayer that I pray every day during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in the quiet time after receiving Holy Communion. I believe that Jesus taught it to me. When I was baptized in 1989, I would simply kneel quietly after receiving Holy Communion. Then I received a sense that I should thank Jesus for His visit with us and His Sacrifice for us. After I had become accustomed to doing that for some months, I received a sense that I should thank Jesus as well for His Holy Eucharist. This continued, with a new thanksgiving every few months, until the prayer became complete as below some years ago. I offer it to you as I pray it. I have made no effort to rephrase it in general terms for use by others.

First Thank

Thank You, Jesus, for becoming incarnate. You could have remained forever in the beauty and glory of your Father's home but You freely chose instead to visit with us, to live as a humble man, and above all to suffer Your Passion and endure Your Crucifixion, giving Your Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity to the Father to open the kingdom of heaven for us. Thank You, Jesus. Glory to You, Lord.

Second Thank

Thank You, Jesus, for your Holy Eucharist. You gave your Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity to the Father for us on the Cross, and you give it to us that we might participate in Your sacrifice, but in a sacramental way, that we might gain the victory in salvation that You won for us on the Cross. Thank You, Jesus. Glory to You, Lord.

Third Thank

Thank You, Jesus, for the other six sacraments through which You continue to minister to us: the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, Holy Orders and Holy Matrimony, Penance, and Anointing of the Sick and Dying. Thank You, Jesus. Glory to You, Lord.

Fourth Thank

Thank You, Jesus, for Your Blessed Mother. You made a perfect mother for Yourself, then you gave her to us to be our perfect mother, to bring graces of every kind, to help and intercede for us whenever we ask. Thank You, Jesus. Glory to You, Lord.

Fifth Thank

Thank You, Jesus, for my heroic guardian angel. You have given me a great and powerful angel who helps me in every way toward Your Cross and salvation. Bless him, Lord, with a mighty abundance of blessings, and give him every good thing that holy angels love. Thank You, Jesus. Glory to You, Lord.

Sixth Thank

Thank You, Jesus, for leading me to You. I was minding my own business when You called me into Your service, the most exciting and wonderful opportunity of my life. Thank You, Jesus. Glory to You, Lord.

Seventh Thank

Thank You, Jesus, for the joyful mission, Lord, which You have given me. May it always be Yours. Your words, my heart! Your words, my hands! Your words, my voice! Let all I write and speak be Your words, Lord, for You have the words of eternal life. Thank You, Jesus. Glory to You, Lord.

Eighth Thank

Thank You, Jesus, for Irene. I will always cherish and protect the beautiful gift You have given me. Bless her, Lord, with a wonderful bouquet of blessings, and give her every good thing that she might need to live a long, healthy, happy and fruitful life on earth, and at Your command be carried by Your angel to Your Father's kingdom, where she might live forever with the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin, and all the holy angels and saints in perfect happiness and joy forever and ever. Thank You, Jesus. Glory to You, Lord.

Ninth Thank

Thank You, Jesus, for everything else. All the other blessings and mercies that You have bestowed upon me. As numerous as the stars in the sky, Your blessings fall upon me like the gentle drops of rain that nourish the earth. Thank You, Jesus. Glory to You, Lord.

Supplication

Jesus, I ask that You heal me, soul and body alike, that I might be better enabled to do Your work on earth, to live a long, healthy and fruitful life, and at Your command to fall and be carried by Your angel to Your Father's kingdom, where I too might live forever with the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin, and all the holy angels and saints in perfect happiness and joy forever and ever.

Invocation

All of which I ask and pray, through the intercessions of Our Blessed Mother, through Christ our Lord, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!