Materials
Prayer for the First day of the month
Our Father ,
which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day
our daily bread,
And forgive our debts,
as we forgive our debtors,
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and
the power, and the glory,
for ever.  Amen

Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)

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Prayer for the Second day of the month
And how shall I call upon my God, my God and Lord, since,
when I call for Him, I shall be calling Him to myself?
and what room is there within me, whither my God can come
into me? whither can God come into me, God who made heaven and earth? is there, indeed, O Lord my God, aught in me that can
contain Thee? do then heaven and earth, which Thou hast made,
and wherein Thou hast made me, contain Thee? or, because
nothing which exists could exist without Thee, doth therefore
whatever exists contain Thee? Since, then, I too exist, why do I seek that Thou shouldest enter into me, who were not, wert Thou
not in me? Why? because I am not gone down in hell, and yet Thou
art there also. For if I go down into hell, Thou art there. I could not
be then, O my God, could not be at all, wert Thou not in me; or,
rather, unless I were in Thee, of whom are all things, by whom are
all things, in whom are all things? Even so, Lord, even so. Whither
do I call Thee, since I am in Thee? or whence canst Thou enter
into me? for whither can I go beyond heaven and earth, that thence
my God should come into me, who hath said, I fill the heaven and the earth.

Do the heaven and earth then contain Thee, since Thou fillest
them? or dost Thou fill them and yet overflow, since they do not contain Thee? And whither, when the heaven and the earth are
filled, pourest Thou forth the remainder of Thyself? or hast Thou
no need that aught contain Thee, who containest all things, since
what Thou fillest Thou fillest by containing it? for the vessels
which Thou fillest uphold Thee not, since, though they were
broken, Thou wert not poured out. And when Thou art poured out
on us, Thou art not cast down, but Thou upliftest us; Thou art not
dissipated, but Thou gatherest us. But Thou who fillest all things,
fillest Thou them with Thy whole self? or, since all things cannot contain Thee wholly, do they contain part of Thee? and all at once
the same part? or each its own part, the greater more, the smaller
less? And is, then one part of Thee greater, another less? or, art
Thou wholly every where, while nothing contains Thee wholly?

Augustine, (Confessions 1.2.2-1.3.3 )
Born in North Africa in 354 A.D. and died there in 430.

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Prayer for the Third day of the month
What art Thou then, my God? what, but the Lord God? For who is
Lord but the Lord? or who is God save our God? Most highest, most good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful, yet most
just; most hidden, yet most present; most beautiful, yet most
strong, stable, yet incomprehensible; unchangeable, yet
all-changing; never new, never old; all-renewing, and bringing age
upon the proud, and they know it not; ever working, ever at rest;
still gathering, yet nothing lacking; supporting, filling, and
overspreading; creating, nourishing, and maturing; seeking, yet
having all things.

Thou lovest, without passion; art jealous, without anxiety;
repentest, yet grievest not; art angry, yet serene; changest Thy
works, Thy purpose unchanged; receivest again what Thou findest,
yet didst never lose; never in need, yet rejoicing in gains; never
covetous, yet exacting usury. Thou receivest over and above, that
Thou mayest owe; and who hath aught that is not Thine? Thou
payest debts, owing nothing; remittest debts, losing nothing. And
what had I now said, my God, my life, my holy joy? or what saith
any man when he speaks of Thee? Yet woe to him that speaketh
not, since mute are even the most eloquent.

Oh! that I might repose on Thee! Oh! that Thou wouldest enter
into my heart, and inebriate it, that I may forget my ills, and embrace Thee, my sole good! What art Thou to me? In Thy pity,
teach me to utter it. Or what am I to Thee that Thou demandest my
love, and, if I give it not, art wroth with me, and threatenest me
with grievous woes? Is it then a slight woe to love Thee not? Oh!
for Thy mercies' sake, tell me, O Lord my God, what Thou art
unto me. Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. So speak, that I
may hear. Behold, Lord, my heart is before Thee; open Thou the
ears thereof, and say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. After this
voice let me haste, and take hold on Thee. Hide not Thy face from
me. Let me die- lest I die- only let me see Thy face.

Augustine, (Confessions 1.4.4-1.5.5 )
Born in North Africa in 354 A.D. and died there in 430.

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Prayer for the Fourth day of the month
I take for my sureties: The power of God to guide me, The might of God to uphold me, The wisdom of God to teach me, The eye of God to watch over me, The ear of God to hear me, The word of God to give me speech, The hand of God to protect me, The way of God to go before me, The shield of God to shelter me.... Christ be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ at my right, Christ at my left, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. -


St. Patrick Born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn.

Far from being a saint, until he was 16, he considered himself a pagan. At that age, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. During his captivity, he became closer to God. He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years.

Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was appointed as Ireland's second bishop. He was quite successful at winning converts. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.

His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

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Prayer for the Fifth day of the month
O God ,
We thank you for this universe, our home; and for its vastness and richness, the exuberance of life which fills it and of which we are part.

We praise you for the vault of heaven and for the winds, pregnant with blessings, for the clouds which navigate and for the constellations, there so high.

We praise you for the oceans and for the fresh streams, for the endless mountains, the trees, the grass under our feet.

We praise you for our senses, to be able to see the moving splendour, to hear the songs of lovers, to smell the beautiful fragrance of the spring flowers.

Give us, we pray you, a heart that is open to all this joy and all this beauty, and free our souls of the blindness that comes from preoccupation with the things of life, and of the shadows of passions, to the point that we no longer see nor hear, not even when the bush at the roadside is afire with the glory of God.

Give us a broader sense of communion with all living things, our sisters, to whom you gave this world as a home along with us. We remember with shame that in the past we took advantage of our greater power and used it with unlimited cruelty, so much so that the voice of the Earth, which should have arisen to you as a song was turned into a moan of suffering.

May we learn that living things do not live just for us, that they live for themselves and for you, and that they love the sweetness of life as much as we do, and serve you, in their place, better than we do in ours.

When our end arrives and we can no longer make use of this world, and when we have to give way to others, may we leave nothing destroyed by our ambition or deformed by our ignorance, but may we pass along our common heritage more beautiful and more sweet, without having removed from it any of its fertility and joy, and so may our bodies return in peace to the womb of the great mother who nourished us and our spirits enjoy perfect life in you.

Walter Rauschenbusch (1861-1918)
A Baptist minister among the poor and the industrial workers of New York city.

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Prayer for the Seventh day of the month
Give us, O Lord ,

Steadfast Hearts,
which no unworthy thought can drag downwards;

Unconquered Hearts,
which no tribulation can wear out,

Upright Hearts,
which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside.

Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God,

Understanding to know Thee,

Diligence to seek Thee,

Wisdom to find Thee,

and a Faithfulness that we may finally embrace Thee.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Born at Roccasecca, a hilltop castle near the Benedictine abbey of Montecassino midway between Rome and Naples. He came into contact with the "new" Aristotle and with the Order of Preachers or Dominicans, a recently founded mendicant order. In 1274, he died on March 7 in the Cistercian abbey at Fossanova.

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Prayer for the Eigth day of the month
Deliver me, O Jesus

From the desire of being loved,     
From the desire of being extolled,
From the desire of being honored,          
From the desire of being praised,
From the desire of being preferred,               
From the desire of being consulted,
From the desire of being approved,
From the desire of being popular,

From the fear of being humiliated,
From the fear of being despised,
From the fear of suffering rebukes,
From the fear of being calumniated,
From the fear of being forgotten,
From the fear of being wronged,
From the fear of being ridiculed,
From the fear of being suspected.

Deliver me, O Jesus.

Mother Teresa, (A Simple Path )
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, Yugoslavia. Mother Teresa, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, died on September 5, 1997, in her convent in India. She was 87.

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Prayer for the Ninth day of the month
O Lord , my God , grant me,
A mind to know You,
A heart to seek You,
Wisdom to find You,
Conduct pleasing to You,
Faithful perseverance in waiting for You,
And a hope of finally embracing You.

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

Born at Roccasecca, a hilltop castle near the Benedictine abbey of Montecassino midway between Rome and Naples. He came into contact with the "new" Aristotle and with the Order of Preachers or Dominicans, a recently founded mendicant order. In 1274, he died on March 7 in the Cistercian abbey at Fossanova, which is perhaps twenty kilometers from Roccasecca.

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Prayer for the Tenth day of the month
My Heavenly Father ,
I thank You, through Jesus Christ , Your beloved Son ,
that You kept me safe from all evil and danger last night.
Save me, I pray, today as well, from every evil and sin,
so that all I do and the way that I live will please you.
I put myself in your care, body and soul and all that I have.
Let Your holy Angels be with me,
so that the evil enemy will not gain power over me.

Amen.

Martin Luther , Morning Prayer (1483 - 1546)

Born on November 10, 1483 in Eisleben in the Holy Roman Empire - in what is today eastern Germany. From 1533 to his death in 1546 he served as the Dean of the theology faculty at Wittenberg. He died in Eisleben on 18 February 1546.

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Prayer for the Eleventh day of the month
Lord , make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
...where there is injury, pardon;
...where there is doubt, faith;
...where there is despair, hope;
...where there is darkness, light;
...where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master , grant that I may not so much seek
...to be consoled as to console;
...to be understood as to understand;
...to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
...it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
...and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi

Born 1181 as Francis Bernardone at Assisi, Umbria, Italy.   Died 4 October 1226 at Portiuncula, Italy

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Prayer for the Twelfth day of the month

Jesus , as a mother you gather your people to you:
you are gentle with us as a mother with her children;

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892 - 1971)

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Prayer for the Fourteenth day of the month
O Lord ,
give us a mind
that is humble, quiet, peaceable,
patient and charitable,
and a taste of your Holy Spirit
in all our thoughts, words, and deeds.

O Lord ,
give us a lively faith, a firm hope,
a fervent charity, a love of you.

Take from us all luke warmness in meditation
and all dullness in prayer.
Give us fervor and delight in thinking of you,
your grace, and your tender compassion toward us.

Give us,
good Lord ,
the grace to work for
the things we pray for.

St Thomas More (1478-1535)

Born in Milk Street, London on February 7, 1478. In April, 1534, More refused to swear to the Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy, and was committed to the Tower of London on April 17. He was found guilty of treason and was beheaded on July 6, 1535. His final words on the scaffold were: "The King's good servant, but God's First."

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Prayer for the Fifteenth day of the month

O Lord, show your mercy to me
and gladden my heart.

Saint Jerome (342 – 420)

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Prayer for the Sixteenth day of the month
Beatitudes of Reconciliation

Blessed are those who are willing to enter into the process of being healed,
for they will become healers,

Blessed are those who recognize their own inner violence,
for they will come to know non-violence,

Blessed are those who can forgive self,
for they will become forgivers.