Franciscan Retreats: Prayers

The Prayers and Stories on this Page are written by, or inspired by,Saint Francis of Assisi

Contents:

St Francis' Prayer Inspired by the Our Father
The Praises of God by St Francis of Assisi
The Exhortation of our Blessed Father Francis to the Friars
A Prayer of Praise to Jesus Christ

St Francis' Prayer Inspired by the Our Father

Our Father most holy:
Our Creator, Redeemer, Consoler, and Savior

Who are in heaven:
In the angels and the saints,
enlightening them to know, for You, Lord, are Light;
inflaming them to love, for You, Lord, are love;
dwelling in them and filling them with happiness,
for You, Lord, are Supreme Good, the Eternal Good,
from Whom all good comes
without whom there is no good.

May knowledge of You become clearer in us that we may know
the breadth of Your blessings,
he length of Your promises,
the height of Your majesty,
the depth of Your judgments.

Your kingdom come:
that You may rule in us through Your grace
and enable us to come to Your kingdom
where there is clear vision of You,
eternal love of You,
blessed companionship with You,
eternal enjoyment of You.

Your will be done on earth as in heaven:
That we may love You with our whole heart by always thinking of You,
with our whole soul by always desiring You,
with our whole mind by always directing all our intentions to You,
and by seeking Your glory in everything,
all our energies and affections of body and soul
in the service of Your love and of nothing else;
and we may love our neighbor as ourselves
by drawing them all to Your love with our whole strength,
by rejoicing in the good of others as in our own,
by suffering with others as their misfortunes,
and by giving offense to no one.

Give us this day:
in remembrance, understanding, and reverence
of that love which our Lord Jesus Christ had for us
and of those things that He said and did and suffered for us.

Our daily Bread:
Your own beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Forgive us our trespasses:
through Your ineffable mercy
through the power of the passion of Your beloved Son
and through the merits and intercession
of the ever blessed Virgin and all Your elect.

As we forgive those who trespass against us:
And what we do not completely forgive,
make us, Lord, forgive completely
that we may truly love our enemies because of You
and we may fervently intercede for them before You,
returning no one evil for evil
and we may strive to help everyone in You.

And lead us not into temptation:
hidden or obvious,
sudden or persistent

But deliver us from evil:
past,
present,
and to come.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.
Amen.

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The Praises of God by St. Francis of Assisi

You are holy, Lord, the only God, and your deeds are wonderful. You are strong. You are great. You are the Most High, You are almighty. You, holy Father, are King of heaven and earth. You are Three and One, Lord God, all good. You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true. You are love, You are wisdom. You are humility, You are endurance. You are rest, You are peace. You are joy and gladness. You are justice and moderation. You are all our riches, And you suffice for us. You are beauty. You are gentleness. You are our protector, You are our guardian and defender. You are courage. You are our haven and our hope. You are our faith, Our great consolation. You are our eternal life, Great and wonderful Lord, God almighty, Merciful Savior.

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The Exhortation of our Blessed Father Francis to the Friars

Most Beloved Friars and Sons forever blessed, Hear me, hear the voice of your Father. Great things we have promised; greater have been promised us. Let us observe the former; let us aspire to the latter. Pleasure is short; punishment, everlasting; Suffering is slight; glory, infinite; Many are called, few are chosen. Brothers, while we have time, let us do good.

St Francis of Assisi

(1181-1226 A.D.)

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A Prayer of Praise to Jesus Christ

based on Philippians 2

Though you were in the form of God, you did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, you emptied yourself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, you humbled yourself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted you and bestowed on you the name that is above every name, that at your name every knee should bend in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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