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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

A Prayer For the Government

Last week I was on retreat and as Mass was in the Extraordinary Form most days, I  used me St. Andrew Daily Missal.

It was quite providential, then, to discover on page 562, a prayer I'd never heard or seen before, but is so needed in our times. It is abridged from a prayer composed by Archbishop Carroll circa 1800. We should all be praying this every single day and after every single Mass.

PRAYER FOR THE GOVERNMENT

We pray Thee, O almighty and eternal God, who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy; that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue, with unchanging faith, in the confession of Thy name. 


We pray Thee, O God of might, wisdom, and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist, with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude, the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides, by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of the Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government; so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge, and may perpetuate to us the blessings of equal liberty. 


We pray for his Excellency the Governor of this State, for the members of the Assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare; that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability. 


We recommend likewise to Thy unbounded mercy all our brethren and fellow-citizens, throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge, and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union and in that peace which the world cannot give; and, after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. 


Amen

3 comments:

Fr. Arthur Joseph said...

Thanks for the prayer. It moved my heart to use it as basis for a prayer people of every country might use.

Fr. Joseph

Jose said...

Hi, Adoro! I hope things are going well on your end. I am on vacation here in Rio de Janeiro, so I have few complaints! As you can easily guess, it is question from Jose time. I hope you will indulge me once again :)
So the issue is on The Rosary and/or Chaplets. For years I have been trying to make it my habit to pray the Rosary. All my favorite Saints speak of the importance of the Rosary. The problem is that when I do a Rosary, I feel I didn't do it well. My mind tends to wander away from spiritual things and I end up just murmuring to myself while I think about mundane things. My day. Food. Something I saw on Tv. Women. I find it very hard to focus on the Meditations. Not to mention that I am not sure HOW to Focus on the Meditation. Only about 2 Mysteries of the Rosary are specifically about Mary, right? For example, as I speak the WORDS of the Hail Mary, my thoughts are supposed to be on the Transfiguration? I feel as if I am speaking to Mary while thinking about something else....Isn't that rude?? I have no real clue where My mind should be as I go through the prayers of the Rosary. I have started and given up on praying the Rosary many many times. I do it for months, then get frustrated and quit. This year, I took to praying the Chaplet to Saint Michael every night and have been at it 8 months without missing a day. Still, I fear the same problems are re-ocurring. What are your thoughts?

Adoro said...

Jose I'm working on an answer to your question but I've been on vacation and have had the regular insanity. Got a start.

So a quick short answer: the Rosary is not about Mary. It's about the Gospels. You're praying the Gospels through the eyes of Mary and through her intercession, so that you will learn what Our Lord wants to teach you in prayer...and intercede for others through His Mysteries with the help of His Mother.

Maybe that will help in the meantime. :-) God bless and enjoy Rio!