{"id":10169,"date":"2014-01-03T15:20:40","date_gmt":"2014-01-03T22:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nettiesworld.com\/?p=10169"},"modified":"2017-06-28T22:03:49","modified_gmt":"2017-06-29T05:03:49","slug":"the-universal-prayer-attributed-to-pope-clement-xi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/?p=10169","title":{"rendered":"The Universal Prayer (attributed to Pope Clement Xi)"},"content":{"rendered":"

I saw this prayer posted today in the comments at Called to Communion<\/a>, and had to share it.<\/p>\n

This prayer is attributed to Pope Clement Xi,<\/a> and written in 1721.<\/p>\n

I find it a salutary supplication at this, the beginning of a new year.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[hr color=”dark-gray” width=”15%” border_width=”2px” ]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith.<\/em>
\nI trust in you: strengthen my trust.<\/em>
\nI love you: let me love you more and more.<\/em>
\nI am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow.<\/em><\/p>\n

I worship you as my first beginning,<\/em>
\nI long for you as my last end,<\/em>
\nI praise you as my constant helper,<\/em>
\nAnd call on you as my loving protector.<\/em><\/p>\n

Guide me by your wisdom,<\/em>
\nCorrect me with your justice,<\/em>
\nComfort me with your mercy,<\/em>
\nProtect me with your power.<\/em><\/p>\n

I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you;<\/em>
\nMy words: to have you for their theme;<\/em>
\nMy actions: to reflect my love for you;<\/em>
\nMy sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory.<\/em><\/p>\n

I want to do what you ask of me:<\/em>
\nIn the way you ask,<\/em>
\nFor as long as you ask,<\/em>
\nBecause you ask it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lord, enlighten my understanding,<\/em>
\nStrengthen my will,<\/em>
\nPurify my heart,<\/em>
\nand make me holy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Help me to repent of my past sins<\/em>
\nAnd to resist temptation in the future.<\/em>
\nHelp me to rise above my human weaknesses<\/em>
\nAnd to grow stronger as a Christian.<\/em><\/p>\n

Let me love you, my Lord and my God,<\/em>
\nAnd see myself as I really am:<\/em>
\nA pilgrim in this world,<\/em>
\nA Christian called to respect and love<\/em>
\nAll whose lives I touch,<\/em>
\nThose under my authority,<\/em>
\nMy friends and my enemies.<\/em><\/p>\n

Help me to conquer anger with gentleness,<\/em>
\nGreed by generosity,<\/em>
\nApathy by fervor.<\/em>
\nHelp me to forget myself<\/em>
\nAnd reach out toward others.<\/em><\/p>\n

Make me prudent in planning,<\/em>
\nCourageous in taking risks.<\/em>
\nMake me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.<\/em><\/p>\n

Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer,<\/em>
\nTemperate in food and drink,<\/em>
\nDiligent in my work,<\/em>
\nFirm in my good intentions.<\/em><\/p>\n

Let my conscience be clear,<\/em>
\nMy conduct without fault,<\/em>
\nMy speech blameless,<\/em>
\nMy life well-ordered.<\/em>
\nPut me on guard against my human weaknesses.<\/em>
\nLet me cherish your love for me,<\/em>
\nKeep your law,<\/em>
\nAnd come at last to your salvation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Teach me to realize that this world is passing,<\/em>
\nThat my true future is the happiness of heaven,<\/em>
\nThat life on earth is short,<\/em>
\nAnd the life to come eternal.<\/em><\/p>\n

Help me to prepare for death<\/em>
\nWith a proper fear of judgment,<\/em>
\nBut a greater trust in your goodness.<\/em>
\nLead me safely through death<\/em>
\nTo the endless joy of heaven.<\/em><\/p>\n

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I saw this prayer posted today in the comments at Called to Communion, and had to share it. This prayer is attributed to Pope Clement Xi, and written in 1721. I find it a salutary supplication at this, the beginning of a new year.   [hr color=”dark-gray” width=”15%” border_width=”2px” ]   Lord, I believe in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,598,131],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catholic","category-netties-world","category-prayers","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10169"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10175,"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10169\/revisions\/10175"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/old.adoptedjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}