A Family Prayer

Shared by a friend.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of our

family. Enlighten our hearts and minds that

we may live more fully this vocation to love.

 

In our daily life and work,

may we reflect the self-giving love which you,

O Father, eternally show with your Son

and the Holy Spirit.

 

Let your love be evident in the peace that reigns

in our home and in the faith we profess and live.

May our family always be a place of generosity,

understanding, forgiveness, and joy.

 

Kindly give us the wisdom and courage

to be witnesses to your eternal design for

the family; and grant that the Holy Family

of Nazareth may always guide our path

to holiness as a family.

 

We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ,

your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the

unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

 

~ Amen.~

 

Prayer composed by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, Supreme Chaplain.

The cover image of the Holy Family is a drawing of Giovanni Balestra, based on a painting by Sassoferrato. The original print is housed at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute of Studies on Marriage and Family in Rome. 

- From a holy card

Grace Before Meals

The following is from Brother John Samaha, S.M.

A BLESSING BEFORE MEALS

(Sing to the melody of Edelweiss)



Bless our friends, bless our food,
Come, O Lord, and be with us.
May our talk glow with peace,
Bring your love to surround us.

Friendship and peace,
May they bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.
Bless our friends, bless our food,
Bless your people forever.

Blessings of a Catholic Home

Painting by Juan Simon Gutierrez

May God's blessing descend abundantly upon this house and upon all who dwell in it. May the grace of the Holy Spirit sanctify everyone.

May The Name in which all is safe, the sweet and Most Holy Name of Jesus, grant happiness and blessing in full measure to this house, and everything within it.

May the Most Blessed Virgin Mother of God, Mary, with motherly concern, look after all, and preserve all from any bodily or spiritual evil.

May the powerful prayers of the worthy St. Joseph obtain a prosperous issue to our undertakings and abundant merit from all our sufferings.

May the holy guardian angels protect all in this house from persecutions of the devil, and one day lead us to our heavenly fatherland.

May the blessing of Almighty God, The + Father, The + SON and the Holy Spirit + descend upon us and remain with us always.

Amen

Thanks to Sue of Half the Kingdom

Prayer for My Family

Watch over my family, dear Lord. Help us live in peace and harmony. Grant us the grace to accept each other's faults and encourage each other's strengths. Protect us from harsh words and hurt feelings. Guide us to mutual understanding and support.

Bless us with good health and happiness. Give us hearts full of love, patience and compassion for one another, now and always. Amen.

From the Treasure of Prayers from the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Holy Family

Father in Heaven, Creator of all, You ordered the Earth to bring forth life and crowned its goodness by crating the family of man.

In history's moment when all was ready, You sent Your Son to dwell in time, obedient to the laws of life in the world.

Teach us the sanctity of human love, show us the value of family life, and help us to live in peace with all men that we may share in Your life forever.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

-From EWTN Holy Card

Prayer for the Consecration of the Family

Shared by Sue C.
Source: Welcome Home

Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, I come to you to consecrate myself and my entire family to your Two Hearts. I desire to renew the vows of my baptism and place each member of my family
through an act of faith, hope and love into loving union with the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

I dedicate myself and each member of my family to the Guardian Angels God has given each one of us.

O Holy Guardian Angels, enlighten, guide and protect each one so as to lead us safely home to heaven.

At Fatima, dear Mother of God, you appeared with St. Joseph and the Child Jesus blessing the world.

O Holy Family, bestow blessings upon me and my entire family so that we may live the Christ-life.

I desire that each member of my family adore always the Most Blessed Trinity and love our God in the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Grant peace to each member of my family.

Keep each one in the grace of Jesus Christ.

Never permit any of my family to stray from the true faith.

(For any family member who has strayed, I beseech you to bind up the wounds, lift up the fallen, restore and keep each of our loved ones in grace.
Bid them come back to their Father's true home).

Amen

Prayer for Healing the Family Tree

Source: St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church

Heavenly Father, I come before You as Your child, in great need of Your help. I have physical health needs, emotional needs, spiritual needs, and interpersonal needs. Many of my problems have been caused by my own failures, neglect and sinfulness, for which I humbly beg Your forgiveness, Lord. But I also ask You to forgive the sins of my ancestors whose failures have left their effects on me in the form of unwanted tendencies, behavior patterns and defects in body, mind and spirit. Heal me, Lord, of all these disorders.

With Your help I sincerely forgive everyone, especially living or dead members of my family tree, who have directly offended me or my loved ones in any way, or those whose sins have resulted in our present sufferings and disorders.

In the name of Your divine Son Jesus, and in the power of His Holy Spirit, I ask You, Father, to deliver me and my entire family tree from the influence of the evil one. Free all living and dead members of my family tree, including those in adoptive relationships, and those in extended family relationships, from every contaminating form of bondage. By Your loving concern for us, heavenly Father, and by the shed blood of your Precious Son Jesus, I beg You to extend Your blessing to me and all my living and deceased relatives. Heal every negative effect transmitted through all past generations, and prevent such negative effects in future generations of my family tree.

I symbolically place the Cross of Jesus over the head of each person in my family tree, and between each generation; I ask You to let the cleansing blood of Jesus purify the blood lines in my family lineage. Set Your protective angels to encamp around us, and permit Archangel Raphael, the patron of healing, to administer Your divine healing power to all of us, even in areas of genetic disability. Give special power to our family members' guardian angels to heal, protect, guide and encourage each of us in all our needs. Let Your healing power be released at this very moment and let it continue as long as Your sovereignty permits.

In our family tree, Lord, replace all bondage with a holy bonding in family love. And let there be an ever deeper bonding with You, Lord, by the Holy Spirit, to Your Son Jesus. Let the family of the Holy Trinity pervade our family with its tender, warm, loving presence, so that our family may recognize and manifest that love in all our relationships. All of our unknown needs we include with this petition that we pray in Jesus precious Name.

Amen.

 Rev. John H. Hampsch, C.M.F

A Prayer for Families

Picture source, Catholic Art Be sure to check out their other lovely Catholic pictures in their online store.

Prayer to St. Joseph
Patron of Families

Saint Joseph, please obtain God's grace and protection for my family and for all families.

Make our home safe and pure, the kingdom of Jesus and Mary - a sanctuary of peace, joy and love. Your protection is greatly needed today because God's enemies are trying to desecrate and destroy the family.

While on earth, you saved the Child and His Mother. So today protect our families and make our homes sanctuaries of prayer, love, patient sacrifice and work.

May they be modeled after you own at Nazareth. Remain with us with Jesus and Mary, so that by your help we may obey the commandments of God and of the Church, live a life a prayer and foster religious instruction in our homes. Save us from the evil that surrounds us, and grant us the grace of going to Heaven to eternally live in the company of the Holy Family.

From America Needs Fatima prayer card.

Update: It appears Ebeth of A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars had children on our minds yesterday. Please be sure to read her post.

Prayer for Family Life

Thanks Sue.

The following is from Fr. Tommy Lane's site

"Dear Lord, with Mary and Joseph, you have lived within a family;
Teach me always to appreciate the precious gift of being part of a family.
Show me ever new ways to protect and comfort those closest to me, and
Let me, each day, do something that will say 'I love you' without
speaking the words.
But remind me also to frequently say those words.
Let me never part from any member of my family in anger.
Prompt me always to turn back without delay - to forgive, and be forgiven.
And let me see your image within each person in my own family, and in my greater family,
Knowing that in your Kingdom, we will truly be one family,
United by your sacrifice on the cross.
Amen".

(Fr Tommy Lane).

Family Prayer - Daily Renewal of Our Pledge

Our family had our home enthroned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus five years ago. Ever since that day, we have recited the following prayers are a family, every evening.

Daily Renewal of Our Pledge to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
(This Prayer is to be prayed daily)

Dear Sacred Heart of Jesus, we renew our pledge of love and loyalty to You. Keep us always close to Your loving Heart, and to the most pure Heart of Your Mother. May we love one another more and more each day, forgiving each other's faults as You forgive us our sins. Teach us to see You in the members of our family and those we meet outside our home, loving them as You love them, especially the poor and the oppressed, that we may be instrumental in bringing about justice and peace.

Please help us to carry our cross daily out of love for You, and to strengthen this love by frequent Mass and Holy Communion.

Thank You, dear Jesus, King and Friend of our family, for all the blessings of this day. Protect us and all families during this night. Help us so to live that we may all get to Heaven.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for Us! St. Joseph, Protector of the Christian, Pray for us! Our Guardian Angels and Patron Saints, Pray for us!

The Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored by thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petition, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
(now make a request of petition).

Prayers for the Family

Picture courtesy of this SITE

PRAYER FOR A FAMILY

Jesus, our most loving Redeemer,
You came to enlighten the world
with Your teaching and example.
You willed to spend the greater part of Your life
in humble obedience to Mary and Joseph
in the poor home of Nazareth.
In this way You sanctified that family
which was to be an example for all Christian families.

Graciously accept our family
which we dedicate and consecrate to You this day.
Be pleased to protect, guard, and keep it
in holy fear, in peace,
and in the harmony of Christian charity.
By conforming ourselves to the divine model
of Your family,
may we all attain to eternal happiness

ANOTHER PRAYER FOR A FAMILY

God of goodness and mercy,
to Your fatherly protection we recommend our family,
our household, and all that belongs to us.
Fill our home with Your blessings
as You filled the holy house of Nazareth
with Your presence.
Keep us from sin.
Help each one of us to obey Your holy laws,
to love you sincerely, and to imitate Your example,
the example of Mary, Your mother and ours,
and the example of Your holy guardian, St. Joseph.

Lord, preserve us and our home
from all evils and misfortunes.
May we ever be resigned to Your divine will
even in the crosses and sorrows
which You allow to come to us.
Finally, give all of us the grace
to live in harmony and love toward our neighbor.
Grant that each of us may deserve by a holy life
the comfort of your Sacraments at the hour of death.

Bless this house,
God the Father, who created us,
God the Son, who suffered for us on the Cross,
and God the Holy Spirit, who sanctified us at Baptism.
May the one God in three divine Persons
preserve our bodies,
purify our minds,
direct our hearts,
and bring us all to everlasting life.

New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book, Catholic Book Publishing Co. New York