Prayer of Saint Bernard

This is the well-known prayer “Memorare” or in German "Gebet des heiligen Bernhardt's" is attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. This translation closely follows the structure and phrasing of the original older form of German found on page 304 of Vreni's 1901 Confirmation Prayer Book. 

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Daily Consecration to Mary the Mother of God

Virgin, Mother of God,

Let me be completely yours!

Yours in life and in death;

Yours in misfortune, fear, and distress;

Yours in the cross and bitter suffering;

Yours for time and eternity.

Virgin, Mother of God,

Let me be completely yours!

Mother! In you I hope and trust!

Mother! To you I cry and sigh!

Mother! You, the kindest, stand by me!

Mother! You, the mightiest, 

protect me from suffering!

O Mother! Come, help me pray!

O Mother! Come, help me fight!

O Mother! Come, help me endure!

O Mother! Come, stay with me!

You can help me, 

O mightiest one!

You want to help me, 

O Kindest one!

You must help me,

O most faithful one!

You will help me,

O most merciful one!

Virgin, Mother of God!

O Mother of grace,

Fortress of Christians.

You, refuge of sinners!

Gate of salvation!

Hope of the earth,

Crown of heaven!

You, comfort of the troubled,

Their shield!

Who has ever called for your help in vain?

When have you ever forgotten a child's prayer?

I call out persistently in my suffering and in distress: 

"Mary always helps - she helps at all times."

I will call with confidence in suffering and death:

"Mary always helps in every need."

Thus I believe, live, and die with this thought:

"Mary helps me ascend to heaven."

Evening Prayers

I want to go to rest now, my Jesus! Let my heart find peace and rest in You as I sleep. Give me, O Lord, the sleep of the righteous, so that while my eyes close, my heart may rest in You and may awaken with every breath in Your love.

Into Mary's protection and Jesus' most holy wounds, I commend my body and my soul!

O holiest, triune God, have mercy on me now and at the hour of my death!

I now lay myself down again in the name of my crucified Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who redeemed me with His precious blood. Bless, guide †, and protect me †, and lead me into eternal life. Amen.

(Never cease to occupy yourself with pious thoughts. Go to rest with such devotion and composure as if you might die tonight. Even in bed, continue your devotion until sleep comes. Consider the following more closely.)

“I sleep, but my heart is awake… Lord, keep me as the apple of Your eye, and protect me under the shadow of Your wings.” (Psalm 16:8)

"Surround me with Your truth as with a shield, and protect me from the terrors of the night."
Psalm 90:5

"In Him, I will lie down and sleep in peace; for He has established me in wonderful hope upon His goodness."
Psalm 4:9

 

 

Morning Prayers

(As soon as you awaken in the morning, rise from your bed, make the sign of the holy cross, and say:)

In the name of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. I thank You, O God, for the countless graces, gifts, and blessings that You have once again granted to me, Your ungrateful child. Thousands of my fellow human beings You have called away from this world during the hours of the past night in their sins and have brought them before Your strict judgment. But to me, You have again given life today and, with it, a new period of grace given to me to improve my life and to gather merits for eternity.

Truly, it would be ungrateful of me if I were to disregard this great grace and let the newly given time pass unused for my soul’s salvation. I therefore firmly resolve to spend this day with Your grace in such a way that all my efforts and labors may be dedicated to Your praise and glory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Prayer to God the Father

Holy Father, eternal God! To You, I lift up my waking heart and mind and offer it to You. I unite all my thoughts, words, and deeds, all the sufferings and joys of this day with the most holy love of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and in everything I want nothing other than to seek Your highest honor and Your pleasure. I want to be, O gracious Father, like a devout, grateful child, willing and diligent in all things. Strengthen and empower, O kind Father, this my firm resolve, and grant me the ability to accomplish it as well. Amen.

Prayer to God the Son

My most holy Redeemer, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior! At the beginning of this day, I offer to You all my inclinations, desires, and wishes and dedicate them entirely to You. With a sincere heart, I want to observe Your holy commandments, fulfill my duties in life faithfully as a true Christian. May my whole life be a sacrifice to Your infinite love, which moved You to leave the joys of heaven and to endure the most bitter death on the cross for me. Bless and strengthen also my resolve, so that in faithful observance of Your commandments, I may reach my eternal goal, and may You one day be my inexpressible reward. Amen.

Prayer to God the Holy Spirit

Come, O Holy Spirit, with Your grace to assist all my works; purify and rule the intentions of my heart; teach and enlighten me to recognize the most holy will of God at all times and to follow it with childlike obedience, so that I may walk in Christian righteousness before You and avoid every offense and desire for evil. May I feel aversion toward all falsehood, impurity, pride, lies, vanity, greed, envy, and all that You, Holy Spirit, Spirit of love and truth, despise. Amen.

Offering

In union with all the works, sufferings, and merits of Jesus Christ, His holy, Virgin Mother Mary, Saint Joseph, with the acts of penance, sufferings, and merits of all the saints, I offer all my works of this day and my entire life to the praise and glory of the Triune God, for the veneration of all saints, in atonement for my sins, for the conversion of sinners and unbelievers, for the spread and salvation of our Holy Catholic Church, for the comfort of the poor souls in purgatory, so that in all things and above all, the most holy will of God may be recognized, honored, and sanctified. Amen.

Daily Covenant with the Mother of Perpetual Help

Exalted Mother of my Lord and Savior, who, beneath the Cross of Your divine Son, also became my Mother, and who has already shown Yourself countless times as the Mother of Perpetual Help, I beseech You, for the sake of the love You bear for all humanity and for the sake of the sufferings and pains that You endured for us and even for me, to show Yourself also as my Mother in all concerns and needs of this day. Help me through Your powerful intercession at the throne of eternal mercy, so that I may receive the grace to walk in the sight of God this day, to avoid the pitfalls of the evil enemy, the temptations of the world, and all desires for earthly pleasures due to the frailty of human nature.

For this, I pledge with all my strength to honor You, my dear Mother of Perpetual Help, and to spread devotion to You. – O Queen of Heaven, bless and strengthen this sacred bond for my life and eternity. Amen.

... to overcome the temptations that the desires of the flesh prepare for me.

— For this, I pledge that I will strive with all my strength to honor Your glory among my fellow humans and to promote and spread devotion to You, our Mother of Perpetual Help. — O Eternal Father in Heaven, bless and strengthen this holy bond for my salvation in time and eternity. Amen.