This short prayer comes from the close of one of St. John Henry Newman's sermons, preached in 1834 when he was an Anglican vicar in Oxford. Its gentle images of lengthening shadows, a quiet world, and the fever of life ending make it a favorite evening prayer, and it is often prayed at funerals and at the bedside of the dying. Pray it at the end of a long day, at Night Prayer, in old age, or for someone nearing the end of life. It asks God to carry us through every day until

Archbishop John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States, composed this prayer in 1791, only a few years after the Constitution was ratified. It asks God's wisdom for the President, Congress, governors, judges, and all public officials, and his blessing on all citizens. It remains one of the finest prayers for public life ever written in America, and it asks for virtue, justice, and peace rather than for any party or policy. Pray it on national holidays such as

Psalm 23, numbered Psalm 22 in the older Catholic Bibles, is probably the best-loved psalm of all. It pictures God as a shepherd who feeds, leads, and protects His flock, even through the valley of the shadow of death. Catholics pray it at funerals, in hospital rooms, and in every kind of fear or uncertainty. The Fathers of the Church also read it as a picture of the sacraments: the waters of Baptism, the anointing oil, and the table of the Eucharist. Pray it slowly when you

St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), the great Carmelite reformer and Doctor of the Church, lived through illness, opposition, and constant travel, yet she was known for her humor and deep peace. After her death these short lines were found written in her breviary, and they have been treasured ever since as a remedy for worry and fear. The English version below is by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The prayer is short enough to memorize and repeat slowly whenever an

"Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44) is one of the most demanding commands of the Gospel. Jesus lived it on the Cross, and Christians have been praying for their enemies ever since, in private prayer and in the liturgy. This traditional collect asks God to give our enemies true peace and charity and to forgive their sins. It doesn't require us to feel warmly toward them; it simply puts them into God's hands and asks for their good. Pray it

From the storm on the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves, Christians have turned to Him in bad weather and natural dangers. The old prayer books and the Roman Ritual include blessings and prayers against storms, lightning, floods, and tempests. This short prayer asks the Lord who calms the sea to protect His people and give them safety of body and peace of soul. Pray it during severe thunderstorms, tornado or hurricane warnings, floods and wildfires, an

The Holy Family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, is the model and protector of every Christian home. Like every family, they knew hardship, poverty, travel, and worry, and the Church celebrates them on the Sunday after Christmas. This prayer asks their blessing on your household and the grace to bear with one another, forgive quickly, and serve each other. Pray it together at dinner or bedtime, during times of tension or conflict, when family members are estranged, or wh

This prayer is one of the oldest collects in the Western Church. It comes from the ancient Mass for Peace, found in early sacramentaries more than a thousand years old, and it is still prayed in many parishes and at Evening Prayer. It asks God, the source of every holy desire and right counsel, to give His servants the peace the world cannot give: hearts set on His commandments and days free from the fear of enemies. Pray it for peace in the world, in your country, in your fa

Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), the strength to bear trials, delays, and the faults of others without losing peace or charity. St. James writes that "the trying of your faith worketh patience," and that patience leads to a perfect and complete work (James 1:3-4). This prayer asks for that grace, and for the ability to carry our cross with Jesus and to forgive as we have been forgiven. Pray it when you are stuck in traffic, waiting for news,

This traditional act accepts God's holy will in joy and sorrow, a classic prayer of trust. The Prayer O Lord my God, I now, at this moment, readily and willingly accept at Thy hand whatever Thou dost ordain for me concerning my life and my death, with all their circumstances and sufferings. And I now, with all my heart, resign myself wholly to Thy most holy will. Amen. Traditional Act of Resignation; classic prayer books, public domain. If these prayers help you, you can supp

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

The Nunc Dimittis is Simeon's canticle from Luke 2, traditionally prayed at night prayer as a song of peaceful surrender. The Prayer Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in peace; Because my eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is n