Franciscan Prayers - St. Bonaventure Fraternity

Franciscan Morning Prayer

Jesus, Lord, I offer you this new day because I believe in you and thank you for your blessings.

I am sorry for having offended you and forgive everyone who has offended me. Lord, look on me and leave in me peace and courage and your humble wisdom that I may serve others with joy, and be pleasing to you all day.

Salutation of the Blessed Mother

Hail, Holy Lady, Most holy Queen, Mary, Mother of God, you are forever Virgin, chosen by the most holy Father in heaven

whom he consecrated with his most holy beloved Son and the Paraclete Spirit! You in whom was and is all plenitude of grace and all good! Hail, his palace, his tabernacle! Hail, his dwelling! Hail, his vesture! Hail, his handmaid! Hail, his Mother—and all you holy Virtues that by the grace and light of the Holy Spirit are infused into the hearts of the faithful, that from faithless souls you may make souls faithful to God!

Prayer before the San Damiano Cross

O Most High and glorius God, enlighten the darkness of my heart. Give me right faith, certain hope, perfect love, and deep humility.

whom he consecrated with his most holy beloved Son and the Paraclete Spirit! You in whom was and is all plenitude of grace and all good! Hail, his palace, his tabernacle! Hail, his dwelling! Hail, his vesture! Hail, his handmaid! Hail, his Mother—and all you holy Virtues that by the grace and light of the Holy Spirit are infused into the hearts of the faithful, that from faithless souls you may make souls faithful to God!

Franciscan Morning Offering

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all intentions of you Sacred Heart,

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and for the intentions recommended by our Holy Father for this month.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto yours.

O Mary, my Queen, my Mother, I give myself entirely to you, and to show my devotion to you, I consecrate to you this day my eyes, my eyes, my mouth, my heart, my whole being, without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, as I am your own, keep me, guard me as your property and possession. Amen.

St. Joseph, model, and patron of those who love the Sacred Heart, pray for me.

For the Spirit of Penance

O seraphic father, St. Francis, I venerate in you the living image of Christ crucified. Your love transformed your whole life into one long martyrdom.

. It made you stive by means of severe penances to satisfy the ardor of your desires, until at last it impressed on your body the wounds it had long before engraved deeply in your heart. It thus made you a living crucifix, preaching sweetly to all people the sufferings and love of Jesus. Obtain for me, O holy Father, that I too may esteem poverty and humiliation above wealth and honor; that I may mortify my passions and advance daily in the knowledge and love of God, until at last, detached from myself, from the world and from all creatures, I may live for God alone, and like you say with my whole heart, “My God and my all,” My God, my inheritance and my joy in time and eternity. Amen,

For Detachment

Oh glorious St. Francis, who even in your youth generously renounced the conveniences and comforts of your home in order to follow Jesus more closely?

In humility and poverty, in mortification and passionate love of the cross, And so. Deserve to see imprinted on your body the miraculous stigmata, obtain for us too, we beg you, the grace here below to pass as if insensible through the fleeting splendor of all worldly things, our heart pulsing steadily with love of Jesus crucified even in the saddest and darkest hours of life and our eye serenely raised to heaven as if already foretasting the possession of the infinite good with its eternal divine joys.

Prayers in Trial and Suffering

I give you thanks, O Lord God, for these pains of mine, and I beg you, my Lord, add a hundred-fold to them if it please you.

It will be most agreeable to me that in afflicting me with pain you do not spare me. Fulfilling your holy will is more than ample comfort to me.

2.

O my Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you for the great love you have shown me. For it is a token of great love if the Lord punishes his servant well for his faults in this life, so that he may not be punished in the next.

For the Spirit of Penance

O seraphic father, St. Francis, I venerate in you the living image of Christ crucified. Your love transformed your whole life into one long martyrdom.

. It made you stive by means of severe penances to satisfy the ardor of your desires, until at last it impressed on your body the wounds it had long before engraved deeply in your heart. It thus made you a living crucifix, preaching sweetly to all people the sufferings and love of Jesus. Obtain for me, O holy Father, that I too may esteem poverty and humiliation above wealth and honor; that I may mortify my passions and advance daily in the knowledge and love of God, until at last, detached from myself, from the world and from all creatures, I may live for God alone, and like you say with my whole heart, “My God and my all,” My God, my inheritance and my joy in time and eternity. Amen,

Prayers to Fulfill God’s Will

Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, grant that we do what we know you want, and that we always whatever is pleasing to you, so that cleansed interiorly,

interiorly enlightened and aglow with the fire of the Holy Spirit, we may be able to follow the footsteps of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Aided by your soul-saving grace may we be able to attain to you, who in perfect trinity and simple unity live and reign and triumph as God almighty, world without end. Amen.

O great God of glory, my Lord Jesus Christ, I entreat you, put light into the darkness of my mind. Give me the right faith, firm hope, and perfect charity. Help me learn to know you, O Lord, so well that in all things I may do everything in true keeping with your holy will.

Prayer of St. Bernadine of Siena

We fly to your patronage, O Holy Mother of God; despise not our prayers in our necessities; but deliver us from all dangers,

O most glorious and Blessed Virgin, our queen, our Mediatress, our Advocate; reconcile us to your son, commend us to your Son, present us to your Son.

My Guardian Angel, watch over me this night. St. Joseph, my Patron, St. Francis, and all you angels and saints of God, pray for me.

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. Save me waking, and keep me sleeping, that I may watch with Christ and rest in peace. Amen. O my dear Jesus, deign to accept the offering I present to you.

Prayer to St. Bonaventure

O glorious St. Bonaventure, faithful follower of the holy Patriarch Francis and brightest ornament of his order, by your profound knowledge and ardent love of God, you have merited the title of Seraphic Doctor and added luster to the Franciscan name.

By your kindness and humility and gentleness of manner, you have drawn all hearts to you and filled them with a love for virtue.

Teach me, I pray you, to imitate your example and to advance daily in piety and the love of God. Teach me, also, that urbanity of manner and respect for the opinion of others which mark the Christian gentleman, so that I may never, in word or deed, offend my neighbor, but edify him at all times by my good deportment. Amen.

The Praises of God

You are holy Lord God Who does wonderful things.

You are strong. You are great. You are most high. You are the almighty king. You holy Father, King of heaven and earth.

You are three in one, the Lord God of gods; You are the good, all good, the highest good, Lord God living and true.

You are love, charity; You are wisdom; You are humility, you are patience, You are beauty, You are meekness, You are security, You are rest, You are gladness and joy, You are our hope, You are justice, You are moderation, You are all our riches to sufficiency.

You are beauty, You are meekness, You are the protector, You are our custodian and defender, You are strength, You are refreshment. You are our hope, You are our faith, You are charity, You are all our , sweetness, You are our eternal life: Great and wonderful Lord.

Almighty God, Merciful Savior

Thanksgiving for the Day

How shall I be able to thank you, oh Lord, for all your favors? You have thought of me from all eternity; you have brought me forth from nothing;

you have given your life to redeem me, and you continue still, daily, to load me with your favors. My God, what return can I make you for your benefits and in particular for the favors of this day? Join me, you blessed spirits and all the elect, in praising the God of mercies who is so bountiful to so unworthy a creature.

Blessing of St. Francis

May the Lord bless us and keep us.

May he show his face to us and have mercy on us.

May he turn his countenance toward us and give us peace.

May the Lord bless us.

The Canticle of the Creatures

Most High, all powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor, and all blessing,

To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no human is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun,

Who is the day and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather, through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste, and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for your love,

And bear infirmity and tribulation,

Blessed are those who endure peace

For by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin.

Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility.

Prayer for Vocations

O good and gracious God, God of mercy, compassion, generosity, and love,

as we live our lives today in the model of St. Francis, choosing daily to live the Gospel life, help us to help others recognize their vocation as a Secular Franciscan that you have already planted in their heart. Help us, so that together we all may work to bring the Gospel to life. Amen!

St. Francis’ Vocation Prayer

Most high, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our minds.

Give us right faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity, so that we may alway and in all things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen.

Canticle of Love to Our Eucharistic Lord

Inspired by Tamra Catt

How little I am as I gaze upon the Eternal Word of God

The Splendor of the Father

The Creator of all that is seen and unseen.Am I not just a speck of dust in the vast Cosmos?

The eyes of my soul ravished by your beauty.

My heart beats with Joy and with sublime Love, you deign to rest your head upon my breast.

May the beat of my heart be a melodious song of praise for her august guest.

May my love and praise be an incense that rises up to heaven with endless Thanksgiving.

I am incapable of comprehending the magnitude of this moment and yet, You allow my soul to unite with you daily and pour endless Grace into my soul.

O Beloved Savior, will there ever be words that can express the love you give to every soul that consumes you?

Let my little heart become so big that I might love as you love

Transform me into Love!

Pure and Holy Light; in you I lose myself and gain everything!