Daily Prayers

[rhawk]

I hope this is not a wrong place to post this. If so, please forgive me. I thought as I am Catholic and this area was for Catholics....

I spent most of my life running from God and religion. Though baptized and had a bit of Sunday school catechism as a child, I left the church around 8 years old and my parent decided to not force it or me back. In 2014 I found God and He decided to let me know He WAS there. It did catch my attention. I made a promise that I would come back to the church (after over 50 years). He did something again for me then. Wow. I went to the local cathedral and met with them and explained my history and life and was signed into RCIA. I had to find my baptismal information and proof (was a fun task as I was born on an American Navel base in Italy), but found it was. The following Easter I completed RCIA, made the priest's ears bleed with a lengthy 50 year worth confession and became an active Catholic (I am sure my grandmother on my father's side is smiling down at me now - well she was the only one actively pushing church on me back when though I think all grandparents were catholic as well) .

I began to say a Rosary every morning shortly after and continue now. I am not sure how I fell into the habit I have, but every morning I say the Rosary followed by this:

Good morning Lord. I hope you are well. I am sure you know, but I feel [Insert how I feel today] today. [Explain why you feel that way and what you think may help if help is needed.] [Tell Him all the good things that happened to you the day before and the things you wish had not. Thank the Lord for everything whether or not you like it (I believe there is a reason for most things even though I rarely understand what it is)]. Please help me to understand how I can better my life. [I pause and ponder a little and try to listen for the Lord]

I would like to thank You for yesterday and today and I hope to be able to thank you for tomorrow then, next week then, next month then, next year then, next decade then and next score then. I thank you for all time given me here.

Lord, I pray for the souls of my family who is no longer with us, whether I knew them or not, remember them or not, have ever met them or not. [Insert family members here who have died – example: My children, my father, my mother]. If I was ever mean any of them, mistreated any of them or hurt any of them, I pray for their forgiveness and yours.

Lord, I pray for the souls of all my friends and their family members who are no longer with us, whether I knew them or not, remember them or not, have ever met them or not. [Insert friends and their family members here who have died – example: John Doe’s wife, Steve Smith, Thomas Johnson]. If I was ever mean any of them, mistreated any of them or hurt any of them, I pray for their forgiveness and yours.

Lord, I pray for the souls of everyone I was ever mean to, mistreated or made fun of, who are no longer with us, whether I knew them or not, remember them, have met them or not, remember the incident or not. I pray for their forgiveness and yours.

Lord, I pray for the souls of all the animals who have graced my life, my family’s lives and my friend’s lives, whether I knew them or not, remember them or not, have met them or not. [Insert pets and friend’s pets here who have died – example: Fluffy, Kitty, Bowser]. If I was ever mean any of them, mistreated any of them, abused any of them or hurt any of them, I pray for their forgiveness and yours.

Lord, I pray for the health, well-being and happiness of my family, whether I know them or not, remember them or not, have ever met them or not. [Insert family members here – example: My children, my father, my mother]. If I was ever mean any of them, mistreated any of them or hurt any of them, I pray for their forgiveness and yours.

Lord, I pray for the health, well-being and happiness of all my friends and their family members, whether I know them or not, remember them or not, have ever met them or not. [Insert friends and their family members here – example: John Doe’s wife, Steve Smith, Thomas Johnson]. If I was ever mean any of them, mistreated any of them or hurt any of them, I pray for their forgiveness and yours.

Lord, I pray for the health, well-being and happiness of everyone I was ever mean to, mistreated or made fun of, whether I know them or not, remember them, have met them or not, remember the incident or not. I pray for their forgiveness and yours.

Lord, I pray for the health, well-being and happiness of all the animals who have grace my life, my family’s lives and my friend’s lives, whether I know them or not, remember them or not, have met them or not. [Insert pets and friend’s pets here – example: Fluffy, Kitty, Bowser]. If I was ever mean any of them, mistreated any of them, abused any of them or hurt any of them, I pray for their forgiveness and yours.

Amen
​

I know that the Church has no definitive on pets/animals going to heaven, but I am sorry. To me God would not separate us from something that can give us so much joy and unconditional love (assuming we reciprocate). Our pets can become family, help us, listen to us and offer us hope. I do not see God allowing that to be destroyed. I cannot properly reconsile just how our pets will be with us in the after life [source of a different topic], but I whole heartedly belive it so. This is why the animals are in my daily routine.

Saturday evening Mass OR Sunday morning (which ever I happen to attend that week) I will show up 45 minutes early and make sure to say a Rosary there.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings.

Blessings.
David

 

[BrAndreyu]

Great post and it brings me to my question, because I have a book that is a "daily prayer companion" and I often wonder what prayers we are supposed to say every day. I say the rosary at night usually before I go to bed, but I don't catch myself praying throughout the day like I am told that we all should be doing.

So I am wondering if aside from the rosary, there are daily prayers that we are supposed to be saying or whether we're just supposed to "talk to God"

 

[rhawk]

So I am wondering if aside from the rosary, there are daily prayers that we are supposed to be saying or whether we're just supposed to "talk to God"

Wow, good question and I am not qualified to answer well.... That said, I have a boo called "Handbook of prayers" that has prayers for any time and help with things as well. I bought it from Midwest Theological Forum (www.theologicalforum.com). I have the standard edition, not student edition.
I am unsure of differences between you flavor of catholicism and Roman Catholic, but I know of the liturgy of the hours which includes morning prayers, daytime prayers, evening prayers and night prayers. Try searching for that.
I generally just talk to Him through out my day. I suppose I sort of think that is a type of prayer.

 

[BrAndreyu]

I am unsure of differences between you flavor of catholicism and Roman Catholic

I'm actually attending a Roman Catholic church now because the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church here in town has stopped doing masses in English (again. I think it's a thing they only do for snowbird season now). The UGCC is in full communion with Rome, they aren't an Orthodox church, but they have a few different ways of doing things. Like you won't see statues in those churches, but icons & they tend to use the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom instead of the liturgy that the Roman Catholic church uses. There are some other small differences, like you get the Eucharist on a golden spoon and there are some different prayers (many in Ukrainian or Greek unless you go to an English mass, which they're no longer offering) but again, it's in full communion with the Pope so I just figured that I'd start going to the local Roman church again because that's what I was raised in and it's actually a lot less of a headache for me because I already know the order of mass, the responses, so on and so forth.

I have to change my affiliation back.

 

[rhawk]

I'm actually attending a Roman Catholic church now because the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church here in town has stopped doing masses in English (again. I think it's a thing they only do for snowbird season now). The UGCC is in full communion with Rome, they aren't an Orthodox church, but they have a few different ways of doing things. Like you won't see statues in those churches, but icons & they tend to use the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom instead of the liturgy that the Roman Catholic church uses. There are some other small differences, like you get the Eucharist on a golden spoon and there are some different prayers (many in Ukrainian or Greek unless you go to an English mass, which they're no longer offering) but again, it's in full communion with the Pope so I just figured that I'd start going to the local Roman church again because that's what I was raised in and it's actually a lot less of a headache for me because I already know the order of mass, the responses, so on and so forth.

I have to change my affiliation back.

I know of many of the differences, but had no idea on what prayers may be used. Like I thought I heard the rosary is not used. I would mind not understanding the mass all the time, but I have gone to a few High Masses in Latin. They are great, but I could not do it every week. Though my Daily Roman Missal has all the masses in English AND Latin, so I could follow it if forced to. May I ask where you are that you get snow birds? I am likely in an area the come from in the winter, Montana.
I belong to the Saint Helena Cathedral here. It is likely a small cathedral by most standards, but I love how it looks. Photos abound on the net: cathedral of st helena montana - Bing images

 

[BrAndreyu]

Like I thought I heard the rosary is not used.

I've never heard that myself. I say the rosary every night now but like I said, I stopped going to that church and just started going to the Roman church that I celebrated my Confirmation in again. It's just easier that way because I can't actually speak Ukrainian (My grandparents wanted us to "be Americans" but I still wish they would have taught us the language). The Orthodox church doesn't use the rosary, they have a prayer rope and they say different prayers but since the Ukr. Greek Catholic church is in full communion with Rome and the Pope, I figure that they'd have to use the rosary.

I would mind not understanding the mass all the time, but I have gone to a few High Masses in Latin. They are great, but I could not do it every week.

Yeah not being able to understand what's going on is the one thing that made me start going back to the Roman church in town. Like I said, it's just easier to have masses in English. I've never been to a Latin mass in my life and I doubt that I'd do well with it because I don't know Latin.

May I ask where you are that you get snow birds?

I'm on the Gulf coast of Florida. South of Sarasota.

I belong to the Saint Helena Cathedral here. It is likely a small cathedral by most standards, but I love how it looks.

I don't actually belong to a parish. I don't currently have a job and am in the middle of a disability application so I haven't joined a parish because I cannot afford to give any money in the collection. I always feel kind of bad about that, but the church doesn't turn their nose up at anyone who can't give like a lot of evangelical churches do. I go to masses between two or even sometimes three parishes depending on my mood. There's one that's sort of around the corner from me that is St. Maximilian Kolbe parish and that's where I was going to daily mass before I fell away, but it's a snowbird church mostly. Now I go to the only church in my city proper, San Pedro. It's the church I made my confirmation at and used to go to when I was a kid. It's actually very pretty and has great stained glass in both the main church and the smaller chapel (which is where you go for funerals, confession, and daily mass during the week).

My diocese's cathedral is on the (man made) Island of Venice, FL. I have never been to a mass there because the traffic on the Island is horrible and I don't think that I'd be able to get a parking spot at the Cathedral, but I'm going to go at least one time before we move back to upstate NY because I've never seen the inside of the cathedral.