St.

Teresa's Bookmark: "Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten you, All things are passing; God only is changeless. Patience gains all things. Who has God wants nothing. God alone suffice." Holy Spirit Novena "Holy Spirit, third Person of the Blessed Trinity, Spirit of truth, love and hol iness, proceeding from the Father and the Son, and equal to Them in all things, I adore You and love You with all my heart. Dearest Holy Spirit, confiding in your deep, personal love for me, I am making t his novena for the following request, if it should be Your holy Will to grant it : (mention your request). Teach me, Divine Spirit, to know and seek my last end; grant me the holy fear of God; grant me true contrition and patience. Do not let me fall into sin. Give m e an increase of faith, hope, and charity, and bring forth in my soul all the vi rtues proper to my state of life. Make me a faithful disciple of Jesus and an obedient child of the Church. Give me efficacious grace sufficient to keep the commandments and to receive the sacraments worthily. Give me the four Cardinal Virtues, Your Seven Gifts, Your Twelve Fruits. Raise me to perfection in the state of life to which You have called me and lead me through a happy death to everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit "O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, didst promise to send t he Holy Ghost to finish Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples, dei gn to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul the work of Thy grace and Thy love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this w orld and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Thy divine tr uth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with Thee, and that I may overc ome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God, and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Thy true disciples and animate me in all th

ings with Thy Spirit. Amen."

Prayer for Humility "O God, who resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble: grant us the virtu e of true humility, where of Your Only-begotten son showed in Himself a pattern for Your faithful; that we may never by our pride provoke Your anger, but rather by our meekness receive the riches of Your grace." Prayer for Patience My dearest Jesus, teach me to be patient, when all day long my heart is troubled by little, but troublesome crosses. or Teach me, my Lord, to be sweet and gentle in all the events of my life, in disap pointments, in the thoughtlessness of others, in the insincerity of those I trus ted, in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied. Let me forget myself so th at I may enjoy the happiness of others. Let me always hide my little pains and h eartaches so that I may be the only one to suffer from them. Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path. Let me so use it that it may mellow me, not harden or embitter me; that it may make me patient, not irritable; that it may make me broad in my forgiveness, not narrow or proud or overbearing. May no one be less good for having come within my influence; no one less pure, less true, less kind, less noble, for having been a fellow traveler with me on our jo urney towards eternal life. As I meet with one cross after another, let me whisp er a word of love to You. May my life be lived in the supernatural, full of powe r for good, and strong in its purpose of sanctity. Amen.

Prayer before Studying (1916) "Incomprehensible Creator, the true Fountain of light and only Author of all kno wledge: vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, to enlighten our understandings, and to remo ve from us all darkness of sin and ignorance. Thou, who makest eloquent the tong ues of those that want utterance, direct our tongues, and pour on our lips the g race of Thy blessing. Give us a diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of appre hension, capacity of retaining, and the powerful assistance of Thy holy grace; t hat what we hear or learn we may apply to Thy honor and the eternal salvation of our own souls." or (Contemporary) "Holy Spirit, Giver of all good gifts, enter into my mind and heart. Give me the gift of knowledge and the grace to use it wisely. Help me in all my endeavors. Give me perseverance and fortitude. Help my memory, that I may remember what I l earn and recall it when necessary. Guide me in the classroom. You who are the Wa y, the Truth, and the Life, let me not be deceived by false teaching. Our Lady o f Good Studies, pray for me. Amen." Prayer to choose Vocation O Lord, I beseech Thee to grant me Thy divine light, that I may know the designs of Thy providence concerning me, and that, filled with a sincere desire for my soul s salvation, I may say, with the young man in the Gospel: What must I do to b e saved? All states of life are before me; but still undecided what to do, I awa it Thy commands. I offer myself to Thee with restriction, without reserve, with a most perfect submission.

Far be it from me O Lord, to oppose the order of Thy wisdom, and, unfaithful to the inspiration of Thy grace, to strive to subject the will of the Creator to th e caprice of the creature. It is not for the servant to choose the way in which he will serve his master: do Thou lay upon me what commands Thou pleasest. My lo t is in Thy hands. I make no exception, lest perchance what I except be that whi ch Thou willest, and because I am too short-sighted to discover in the future th e different obstacles I shall meet with, if without Thy guidance, I make myself the arbiter of my own conduct. Speak, Lord, to my soul; speak to me as Thou dids t to the youthful Samuel: Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth. I cast myself at Thy feet, and I am ready, if it be Thy will, to sacrifice myself as a victim to Thee for the remainder of my days, in such ways as Thou shall deem most worthy of Thy greatness. O my God, inspire the affections of my parents and guide their projects accordin g to the counsels of Thy wisdom. Lord, I sincerely desire to consult Thee who ar e the Eternal Truth; grant that my parents also may submit themselves to its dec rees, faithfully and without reserve. or "God of wisdom and of counsel, You see in my heart a sincere desire to please Yo u alone and to conform myself entirely to Your holy Will in the choice of my sta te in life. Grant me, I humbly implore You, by the intercession of the Blessed V irgin, my Mother and my holy Patrons, the grace to know what state in life I sho uld choose and to embrace it when known, in order that thus I may seek Your glor y and increase it, work out my own salvation, and deserve the heavenly reward wh ich You have promised to those who do Your holy Will. Amen. " Morning Prayer In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. "O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, j oys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in u nion with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen." There are two types of contrition: perfect (where we are truly sorry for our sin s out of our love for God) and imperfect (where our sorrow comes more out of fea r of God s punishments or perhaps from the dreadful nature of the sin itself). Bot h are reflected in this version of the Act of Contrition: O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins , because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all beca use they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I f irmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.