Favorite Prayers

My dear friend Kim tagged me in this fun and faith-enriching blog meme.  Here are the guidelines:

"Name your three most favorite Catholic devotional prayers, and explain why they're your favorites. Then tag five bloggers - give them a link, and then go and tell them they have been tagged. Finally, tell the person who tagged you that you've completed the meme. The Liturgy and the Sacraments are off limits here. I'm more interested in people's favorite devotional prayers."

Now, I'm not really good at tagging other people - partly because I am usually amazed that people actually read my blog - and because I get anxious about weird things (read: What will so-and-so think when they find I've tagged them?  Will they think I am weird for choosing them?  Will so-and-so feel weird if I don't tag them?).  So I'm not going to tag anyone but, following Allison's example, I'm going to encourage anyone to comment with any prayers that have given them great support throughout their day.

Here are three of my favorites:

1.  Not sure if this counts, because I am a baby Catholic here and this could be considered part of the Liturgy and thus off limits for the meme, but I LOVE the sung Litany of the Saints.  It is so beautiful and helps me wish to be more like them, thus, more like Jesus!

2.  I, too, have been trying to say a Morning Offering each day.  Here is are two typical versions, although I usually modify them a bit depending on my lack of memory mood:


Morning Offering
Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, one God in three Persons, I firmly believe that You are here present; I adore You with the most profound humility; I praise You and give You thanks with all my heart for the favors You have bestowed on me. Your Goodness has brought me safely to the beginning of this day. Behold, O Lord, I offer You my whole being and in particular all my thoughts, words and actions, together with such crosses and contradictions as I may meet with in the course of this day. Give them, O Lord, Your blessing; may Your divine Love animate them and may they tend to the greater honor and glory of Your Sovereign Majesty. Amen.

Morning Offering to the Sacred Heart
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all our associates, and in particular for the intentions of our Holy Father for this month.

I like the first because it is full of praise and makes it a point to thank God for bringing you safely through the night.  I like the second because of the specific offering wording: "..my prayers, works, joys and sufferings..."

3.  Finally, I will simply say that one of my favorite prayers is a simple, "Lord, help me" or "I can't do this but YOU can do this" or "Jesus, I trust in You" whenever the day gets a little tough.


I'd love to hear your prayers - especially those short 'n sweet ones that work so well for busy moms!