4. Spiritual Resources

Spiritual Resources and Prayers

God invites us into a relationship with Him that is both personal and communal

He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Word-made-flesh. Prayer, at any point in our life, is our response to God who is already speaking or, better yet, revealing Himself to us. Therefore, prayer is not merely an exchange of words, but it engages the whole person in a relationship with God the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. (USCCB)

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Prayer in the Time of the Coronavirus

Comfort us, O Lord, for we are like your disciples on the storm-tossed seas, unsettled by what lies ahead.
We turn to You, our Healer and Guide, to still our hearts in our time of need and hear our prayer:
Heal those who are sick with the coronavirus and protect the elderly and most vulnerable.
Give strength to all who tend to our health and wisdom to researchers who work toward a cure.
Open our eyes and hearts, as you did during Hurricane Harvey, that we may look beyond our
immediate needs to care for others who need help.
Through the Holy Spirit, guide our leaders to make wise decisions for the welfare of all the
people they serve.
Grant eternal rest to those who have died from the virus.
May Mary, Our Mother, who has heard our pleas in the storms of our lives, 
intercede to her Son, that we may find healing and a prompt end to this illness.
Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us.
Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, heal us. Amen.

Click here for a PDF of the Prayer to print and share

 

Oración Durante el Tiempo del Coronavirus

Consuélanos, Señor, pues somos como tus discípulos en la tormenta que sacudió los mares, inquietos por lo que se avecina.
Nos dirigimos a Ti, nuestro Guía y Salvador, para que calmes nuestros corazones en nuestros momentos de necesidad y escuches nuestra oración:
Sana a todos quienes están enfermos con el coronavirus y protege a las personas mayores y a los más vulnerables.
Dale fuerza a todos quienes cuidan de nuestra salud y sabiduría a quienes buscan y luchan por encontrar una cura.
Abre nuestros ojos y nuestros corazones, como lo hiciste durante el Huracán Harvey, para que podamos ver más allá de nuestras necesidades inmediatas y ayudar a aquellos que necesiten ayuda.
Por medio del Espíritu Santo, guía a los líderes a tomar decisiones sabias por el bienestar de todas las personas a las que sirven.
Concede el descanso eterno a todos quienes han muerto por el virus.
Que María, nuestra Madre, que ha escuchado nuestras suplicas en las tormentas de nuestras vidas, interceda ante su Hijo, para que encontremos la sanación y un pronto final para esta enfermedad.
Maria, Estrella del Mar, ruega por nosotros.
Jesucristo, nuestro Señor y Salvador, sananos. Amen.

Haga clic aquí para obtener un PDF de la oración para compartir

Daily Prayers

Archbishop Fiorenza's Prayer In the Time of Coronavirus

The four Gospels give us an image of Jesus who traveled through towns and villages to cure disease and illness.  The Gospel reading for Tuesday of the fourth week of Lent reveals the miracle when Jesus restored health to a crippled man.  His remarkable sensitivity for a person afflicted with a disability gives us a strong confidence that today Jesus is still able and willing to relieve pain and suffering from any illness.

In our daily prayers let us implore Jesus to pass through our cities and communities as He did in the gospel with His divine healing for victims of this new disease and protection for the courageous doctors, nurses and other volunteers who are ministering to them.

May our gracious God bless them in their dangerous work and give them the consolation of knowing they are truly doing His will in eliminating this newest plague on the world.

O Jesus, healer of all disease, help us to overcome fear and anxiety which prevents us from working together to overcome this human tragedy.  Remain with us, Lord and Savior, as we endure the difficulties and disruptions of our daily lives.  Give us patience, serenity and peace of mind and heart during these unsettling times.  Help us to have profound trust that you are with us and will help us to prevail over this pandemic.

We remember, O, Lord, those who have died from this disease as we pray for their eternal peace in your loving embrace.  Please give to those who mourn their death every consoling grace and strength during their grief and sorrow.

In this time of danger and fear, we turn in filial love and trust to our Mother Mary, the health of the sick and comforter of the afflicted, the Mother of Good Counsel, to intercede for us to be delivered from present sorrow and obtain protection from this world-wide scourge.

To you O clement and loving Mother, we entrust ourselves to your protection and deliverance from this present world-wide danger.  Amen.

- Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza

Resources

Prayers during times of trial

Pope Francis - Moment of Prayer and the Urbi et Orbi Blessing - March 27, 2020

Pope Francis delivers an extraordinary blessing “To the City and to the World” on Friday to pray for an end to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. In his meditation, the Pope reflects on Jesus’ words to His disciples: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”

Did you know that Catholics can make an Act of Spiritual Communion?

(Source: Archdiocese of Detroit) - It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion means uniting one’s self in prayer with Christ’s sacrifice and worshiping Him in His Body and Blood. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily. When unable to receive Holy Communion, pray the prayer below:

 A prayer for Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.

 

Essential prayers

Other prayers

Online devotions

Reflections on the Importance of both Prayer and Action

“In our Christian life too prayer and action are always profoundly united. Prayer that does not lead to concrete action toward a brother who is poor, sick, in need of help, the brother in difficulty, is a sterile and incomplete prayer. But, in the same way, when in ecclesial service we are only concerned with doing, we give greater weight to things, functions, structures, and we forget the centrality of Christ; we do not set aside time for dialogue with him in prayer, we are in risk of serving ourselves and not God present in our needy brother.” (Pope Francis, Sunday Angelus, July 22, 2013)

“People who pray are not wasting their time, even though the situation appears desperate and seems to call for action alone. Piety does not undermine the struggle against the poverty of our neighbours, however extreme. In the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta we have a clear illustration of the fact that time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbour but is in fact the inexhaustible source of that service.” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, no. 36)

Walking with Christ in the Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross began as the practice of pious pilgrims to Jerusalem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary.
Later, for the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the fourteen stations currently found in almost every church.
This devotion can be practiced at home. The USCCB provides an audio version of the Stations of the Cross, as well as several different versions of the devotion that can be read in both English in Spanish.

Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us!

 

For the latest Archdiocesan updates on COVID-19, visit the online Health Updates web hub. 

Inviting All to Become One In Christ