“Whenever in your path you find unchanging peace, beware: you are very far from the divine paths trodden by the weary feet of the saints. For as long as you are journeying in the way to the city of the Kingdom and are drawing nigh the city of God, this will be a sign for you: the strength of the temptations that you counter. And the nearer you draw nigh and progress, the more temptations will multiply against you.” ~St. Isaac the Syrian

Everliving God, who didst call thy servant Cuthbert to proclaim the Gospel in northern England and endued him with a loving heart and gentle spirit: Grant us grace to live as he did, in simplicity, humility and love for the poor; through Jesus Christ, who came among us as one who serves, and who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Almighty God, at the beginnings of our salvation, when Mary conceived your Son and brought him forth in to the world, you placed them under Joseph’s watchful care. May his prayer still help your Church  to be an equally faithful guardian of your mysteries and a sign of Christ to mankind. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Strengthen, O Lord, the bishops of your Church in their special calling to be teachers and ministers of the Sacraments, so that they, like your servant Cyril of Jerusalem, may effectively instruct your people in Christian faith and practice; and that we, taught by them, may enter more fully into the celebration of the Paschal mystery; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

God our Father, you bid us listen to your Son, the well-beloved. Nourish our hearts on your word, purify the eyes of our mind, and fill us with joy at the vision of your glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

“Our religion was founded by the One who said, ‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 16-25). And again, ‘They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God’ (John 16:2). These are not exactly cheerful tidings. We deny the dark side of Christianity.  Crucifixes that once reminded us of Christ’s sacrifice for the salvation of the world have been replaced in church by not terribly convincing statues of the Resurrection. We have attempted to block out the challenge of Christianity: the Cross.” ~Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

We beseech  thee, O Lord, graciously to regard the devout prayers of thy people: that they, who by abstinence do mortify the deeds of the flesh, may by the fruit of good works be renewed in the spirit of their minds; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever One God, world without end. Amen

“O Lord, The house of my soul is narrow; enlarge it that you may enter in. It is ruinous, O repair it! It displeases Your sight. I confess it, I know. But who shall cleanse it, to whom shall I cry but to you? Cleanse me from my secret faults, O Lord, and spare Your servant from strange sins.” ~St Augustine of Hippo

“There is nothing in the world as delightful as a continual walk with God. Only those who have experienced it can comprehend it. And yet I do not recommend that you seek it solely because it is so enjoyable. Do it because of love, and because it is what God wants. If I were a preacher, the one thing that I would preach about more than anything else is the practice of the presence of God.” ~Brother Lawrence