St. Francis of Assisi composed the Canticle of the Sun (also called the Canticle of the Creatures) near the end of his life, around 1225, while he was nearly blind and in great pain. It is one of the first great poems written in Italian. In it, Francis praises God for Brother Sun, Sister Moon, wind, water, fire, and Mother Earth, and in the final verses even for Sister Death. Pray it outdoors, at sunrise, on the feast of St. Francis (October 4), when blessing animals, or when

Psalm 63 (Psalm 62 in the Douay numbering) has been the Church's morning psalm since ancient times, and it is still prayed on Sundays and feasts at Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. It opens with a cry of longing, "O God, my God, to thee do I watch at break of day," and compares the soul's thirst for God to a dry and waterless land. Pray it as soon as you wake, before the day's noise begins, or during a morning holy hour. It is especially fitting in times of spiritu

The Book of Tobit tells the story of young Tobias, guided on his journey by the Archangel Raphael, and his marriage to Sarah, a woman who had known great sorrow. On their wedding night, before anything else, the couple rose and prayed together, praising God as Creator of man and woman and asking Him for mercy and a long life together. The Church has long used this passage at weddings. It is a beautiful prayer for engaged couples, newlyweds, and married couples renewing their

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) spent much of his youth searching for truth and happiness everywhere except in God. After his conversion, he wrote the Confessions, a long prayer addressed to God that tells the story of his restless heart. Two passages from it have become some of the most quoted prayers in Christian history: the opening line about our restless hearts, and the lament "Late have I loved Thee." These words speak to anyone who has come to faith late, returned aft

St. Richard of Chichester (1197-1253) was an English bishop known for his simple life, generosity to the poor, and courage in standing up to the king. According to his early biographer, he spoke this prayer on his deathbed. Its closing lines, asking to know Christ more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly, became famous in the twentieth century as the song "Day by Day." The prayer joins thanksgiving for all Christ has done with a desire to grow closer to

The Seven Last Words are the seven sayings of Jesus from the Cross recorded in the Gospels. They have been prayed and preached on for centuries, especially on Good Friday, when many parishes hold a three-hour service from noon to three o'clock. "I thirst" (John 19:28) is the fifth Word. Jesus' thirst was real and physical after hours of suffering, but spiritual writers have long seen in it a deeper thirst: His longing for souls and for our love. This short meditation asks for

Remember those in need with this traditional petition for charity. The Prayer O God, Who hast commanded us to love one another, open our hearts to the poor and needy. Grant that we may see Christ in them, and serve them with generosity and joy. Bless those who suffer want, and provide for them through our hands and the charity of Thy Church. Amen. Traditional prayer for the poor; classic manuals style, public domain.

Purity of intention means doing things for God rather than for praise, comfort, or self-interest. The saints taught that even ordinary actions like cooking, working, studying, and caring for others become holy when they are done for love of God. This short prayer, in the spirit of St. Nicholas of Flue's well-known prayer, asks God to remove whatever keeps us from Him, give us whatever brings us closer, and free us from self so that we may belong wholly to Him. Pray it in the

St. Paul went from persecuting Christians to becoming the great Apostle to the Gentiles. He preached across the Roman world and wrote the letters that make up much of the New Testament, and he was martyred in Rome. The Church celebrates his conversion on January 25 and honors him with St. Peter on June 29. This short traditional prayer asks his help for a living faith and for the love of Christ crucified that burned in his own heart ("I am crucified with Christ"). It is a goo

The Beloved Disciple rested on the Heart of Jesus. Ask him for love of the Word. The Prayer O glorious Apostle and Evangelist Saint John, who wast so highly favored by Jesus as to rest upon His Sacred Heart, and to whom He entrusted His Blessed Mother, obtain for me a great love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and a tender devotion to Mary. Amen. Sources: Traditional prayer to St. John; classic manuals, public domain.

St. Ignatius teaches discernment and generosity toward God. Pray with his spirit of "Ad majorem Dei gloriam." The Prayer O glorious Patriarch, Saint Ignatius, we beseech thee to obtain for us from God a heart filled with a generous love of Him, and a will wholly conformed to His holy will. Obtain for us also the grace to labor for the greater glory of God, and for the salvation of souls. Amen. Sources: Traditional prayer to St. Ignatius; classic manuals, public domain.

The Act of Love, also called the Act of Charity, is one of the four traditional "acts" every Catholic once learned by heart, along with the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Contrition. It expresses the greatest commandment: to love God above all things, with our whole heart and soul, and to love our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God. Because charity is the queen of the virtues, the saints recommended making this act often. Pray it each morning as part of your daily offering,

The Little Flower taught the "little way" of confidence and love. This traditional prayer asks her roses of favor. The Prayer O little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love. O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors I now place with confidence in thy hands (mention request). St. Therese, help me to always believe as thou didst in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate thy "L

After receiving Our Lord, linger in thanksgiving with this traditional prayer. The Prayer My good Jesus, I thank Thee with all my heart for giving Thyself to me in this Holy Communion. May Thy holy Body and Blood increase my faith, strengthen my hope, and inflame my charity. Take entire possession of me, that I may live only for Thee. Keep me from all sin, and make me persevere in Thy love until death. Amen. Traditional prayer after Communion; classic manuals, public domain.

The Fourth Commandment calls us to honor our father and mother, and St. Paul notes that it is "the first commandment with a promise" (Ephesians 6:2). This traditional prayer asks for the grace to love our parents sincerely, to obey them, and to help them in their needs. It also asks God to bless them with health of soul and body and to reunite us with them one day in His kingdom. Pray it daily as part of morning or night prayer, on your parents' birthdays and anniversaries, w

This beloved peace prayer, long associated with St. Francis in popular devotion, asks to become an instrument of God's peace. The English form below is the traditional public-domain wording widely printed in early twentieth-century devotionals. The Prayer Lord, make me an instrument of Thy 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; And where there is s