by Teresa of Avila (1515-82)
Let nothing disturb you.
Nothing dismay you. All things pass.
But God never changes.
Whoever has God lacks nothing.
If you have only God,
You have more than enough.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
by St. Benedict of Nursiaca 480-547
Gracious and Holy Father,
Please give me:
intellect to understand you,
reason to discern you,
diligence to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
a spirit to know you,
a heart to meditate upon you,
ears to hear you,
eyes to see you,
a tongue to proclaim you,
a way of life pleasing to you,
patience to wait for you
and perseverance to look for you.
Grant me a perfect end,
your holy presence,
a blessed resurrection
and life everlasting. Amen.
by Reinhold Niebuhr
God, grant me
Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship
as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen.
Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds
Most Gracious, Most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment.
Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.
Show us the straight way,
The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.
Just as the soft rains fill the streams,
pour into the rivers and join together in the oceans,
so may the power of every moment of your goodness
flow forth to awaken and heal all beings,
Those here now, those gone before, those yet to come.
By the power of every moment of your goodness
May your heart's wishes be soon fulfilled
as completely shining as the bright full moon,
as magically as by a wish-fulfilling gem.
By the power of every moment of your goodness
May all dangers be averted and all disease be gone.
May no obstacle come across your way.
May you enjoy fulfillment and long life.
For all in whose heart dwells respect,
who follow the wisdom and compassion of the Way,
May your life prosper in the four blessings
of old age, beauty, happiness and strength.
God, hear my prayer,
And let my cry come to You.
Do not hide from me in the day of my distress
Turn to me and speedily answer my prayer.
Eternal God, Source of healing,
Out of my distress I call upon You.
Help me sense Your presence
At this difficult time.
Grant me patience when the hours are heavy;
In hurt or disappointment give me courage.
Keep me trustful in Your love.
Give me strength for today, and hope for tomorrow.
To your loving hands I commit my spirit
When asleep and when awake. You are with me; I shall not fear.
May every creature abound in well-being and peace.
May every living being, weak or strong, the long and the small
The short and the medium-sized, the mean and the great;
May every living being, seen or unseen, those dwelling far off,
Those near by, those already born, those waiting to be born;
May all attain inward peace.
Let no one deceive another.
Let no one despise another in any situation.
Let no one, from antipathy or hatred, wish evil to anyone at all.
Just as a mother, with her own life,
protects her only son from hurt,
So within yourself foster a limitless concern
for every living creature.
Display a heart of boundless love for all the world.
In all its height and depth and broad extent,
Love unrestrained, without hate or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk, sit or lie,
until overcome by drowsiness
Devote your mind entirely to this,
it is known as living here life divine.
A Psalm of David
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff-
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
O Great Spirit,
whose voice I hear in the winds,
and whose breath gives life to all the world
-hear me-
I come before you, one of your children.
I am small and weak.
I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold
the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made,
my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise, so that I may know the things
you have taught my People.
The lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.
I seek strength not to be superior to my brothers,
but to be able to fight my greatest enemy,
myself.
Make me ever ready to come to you,
with clean hands and straight eyes,
so when life fades as a fading sunset,
my spirit may come to you without shame.
The traditional Jewish prayer for the sick
May the One who blessed our ancestors-
Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
Matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah-
bless and heal the one who is ill:
(name) son/daughter of (name) .
May the Holy Blessed One
overflow with compassion upon him/her,
to restore him/her,
to heal him/her,
to strengthen him/her,
to enliven him/her.
The One will send him/her, speedily,
a complete healing-
healing of the soul and healing of the body-
along with all the ill,
among the people of Israel and all humankind,
soon,
speedily,
without delay,
and let us all say: Amen!
Celtic oral tradition - 1st millennium
You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm
You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart's eternal spark
You are the door that's open wide
You are the guest who waits inside
You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor
You are my Lord and with me from ill
You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Saviour this very day.
Dear Lord,
For the many persons who have died
of Alzheimer's Disease, we pray that
they are in the care of your loving arms...
For those who are now victims of Alzheimer's
Disease, we pray for dignity and comfort...
For the Alzheimer's Disease caregivers,
we pray for compassion and patience...
For the Alzheimer's Disease families,
we pray for strength and courage...
For those who seek the cause, cure,
prevention, and treatment of Alzheimer's
Disease, we pray for your wisdom, guidance,
and direction and
For the hope You have given us...
our thanks. Amen
Dear Lord,
Please grant my visitors tolerance for my confusion,
Forgiveness for my irrationality and the strength
To walk with me into the mist of memory
My world has become.
Please let them take my hand and stay awhile,
Even though I seem unaware of their presence.
Help them to know how their strength
And loving care will drift slowly
Into the days to come just when I need it most.
Let them know when I don't recognize them
That I will. . . I will.
Keep their hearts free from sorrow for me,
For my sorrow, when it comes,
Only lasts a moment, when it's gone. And finally Lord, please let them know,
How very much their visits mean,
How even through this relentless mystery,
I can still feel their love. Amen!
Dear Lord:
Please grant my visitors tolerance of my confusion,
forgiveness for my irrationality,
and strength to walk with me
into the mist of memory my world has become.
Please help them take my hand and stay awhile,
even though I seem unaware of their presence.
Help them to know how their strength
and loving care will drift softly into
the days to come, just when I need it most.
Let them know that, when I don't recognize them,
I will ask them to keep their hearts free of sorrow for me.
For my sorrow, when it comes,
only lasts for a moment and then it is gone. And finally, Lord,
please let them know how very much their visits mean.
How, even through this relentless mystery,
I can feel their love. Amen