We are still in the last few days of the Christmas season, as next Monday, January 12, marks the First Week in Ordinary Time, according to the Catholic Liturgical Year. This is a fitting occasion to review and, as appropriate, to invoke two powerful Christian prayers, which are often overlooked.
We are all familiar with the Lord’s Prayer, which is indisputably the number-one prayer in Christendom. Next in popularity may be St. Francis’ lovely prayer, “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.” Many of us are familiar with St. Teresa of Ávila’s famous “bookmark” prayer: “Let nothing disturb you; let nothing cause you fear.”
And so today, I’ll reprint a prayer by St. Alphonsus Liguori, (1696–1787), which is frequently given as an alternative to people who cannot attend Catholic Mass and take Communion in person. However, this “Act of Spiritual Communion” prayer can be lifted from this context and used as a standalone prayer:
My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now 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.
Thus, a person can make a conscious act of spiritual communion with Jesus anytime, anywhere, and unite mystically with the spiritual essence of Jesus. I can think of few more powerful Christian prayers.
The second prayer is actually an exhortation by St. Paul from the Book of Colossians, where he enjoins us to “put on the new self.” I have adapted, abridged, and re-written St. Paul’s inspired admonitions from Colossians 8–17 in the form of a prayer, as if we were praying for the very same things that Paul so movingly counsels us to adopt:
Lord, help me to set aside anger, rage, malice, slander, and foul language. Help me never to lie. I pray that I may put on a new spiritual self in the image of my Creator; that I may be renewed by this intimate recognition.
May I be clothed with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. May I bear with others, and may I forgive all with whom I hold a grievance. Above all, I pray that I clothe myself with limitless, unconditional love, which is the foundation of spiritual perfection.
May the peace of Christ control my heart! May the word of Christ dwell in me richly!
And whatever I do or say, may I do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
These are indeed two powerful Christian prayers.
