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March 17, 2020
Catholic San Francisco
The Archdiocese of San Francisco's Office of Worship has gathered the following prayers that Catholics can say in solidarity with the whole church during the coronavirus pandemic.
From Pope Francis
O Mary,
you always shine on our path
as a sign of salvation and of hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who at the cross took part in Jesus' pain, keeping your faith firm.
You, Salvation of the People,
know what we need,
and we are sure you will provide
so that, as in Cana of Galilee,
we may return to joy and to feasting
after this time of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform to the will of the Father
and to do as we are told by Jesus,
who has taken upon himself our sufferings
and carried our sorrows
to lead us, through the cross,
to the joy of the resurrection.
Amen.
CNS translation of the prayer Pope Francis recited by video March 11 asking Mary to protect Italy and the world during of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe
by Archbishop Gomez
Holy Virgin of Guadalupe,
Queen of the Angels and Mother of the Americas.
We fly to you today as your beloved children.
We ask you to intercede for us with your Son,
as you did at the wedding in Cana.
Pray for us, loving Mother,
and gain for our nation and world,
and for all our families and loved ones,
the protection of your holy angels,
that we may be spared the worst of this illness.
For those already afflicted,
we ask you to obtain the grace of healing and deliverance.
Hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful,
wipe away their tears and help them to trust.
In this time of trial and testing,
teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind.
Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts.
We come to you with confidence,
knowing that you truly are our compassionate mother,
health of the sick and cause of our joy.
Shelter us under the mantle of your protection,
keep us in the embrace of your arms,
help us always to know the love of your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Prayer to Our Lady of Prompt Succor
O Mary, Mother of God,
through the years,
your people have called on your intercession
in times of epidemic and illness.
We call on you now as our mother
and ask that you pray for us,
that we might find healing and refuge,
and a quick end to this time of illness.
Be to us truly Our Lady of Prompt Succor
and draw us ever closer to your Son,
the source of all healing and consolation.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Amen.
Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of Your 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;
where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
Amen.
Prayers from the Roman Missal for Consolation & Healing
O God, our refuge in adversity,
our strength in sickness,
our comfort in sorrow,
protect your people,
that under your care,
our community and world might be spared from further sickness
and find relief through your loving mercy.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
God of all consolation,
your Son calmed the wind and rain,
and healed the sick of mind and body.
Through your fatherly care,
grant us your protection from illness
and help us to stand firm in the midst of danger.
Grant your healing to those who are ill
and bring this time of sickness to a swift end.
Guide us, that we might show your compassion,
and live your justice:
never losing hope or seeking our own good at the expense of another.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer for a Pandemic
May we who are merely inconvenienced
remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors
remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home
remember those who must choose between preserving their health
or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close
remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips
remember those that have no place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market
remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home
remember those who have no home.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,
let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.
Amen.
From the Interfaith Hospitality Network in Cincinnati
The Angelus
V: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary
R: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary…
V: Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R: Be it done unto me according to thy Word.
Hail Mary…
V. And the Word was made flesh.
R: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary…
V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R: That we might be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
Thy grace into our hearts;
that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, Thy Son,
was made known by the message of the angel,
may by His passion and Cross,
be brought to the glory of His resurrection,
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Dating back to the 11thcentury, this prayer at noon invites the faithful to interrupt their work and raise their hearts and minds to God, to remember Mary’s “yes” and to inspire us to say our own “yes” to God.)
With the absence of public Masses in the Archdiocese of San Francisco due to the shelter in place order, the opportunity for receiving spiritual communion is particularly appropriate.
What is spiritual communion? St. Thomas Aquinas described it as “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the most holy sacrament and lovingly embrace him” in circumstances when we cannot receive him in sacramental Communion.
Spiritual communion needs no special instruction; it only requires the same disposition as the actual reception of the sacrament and a turning to Jesus with the heart. No particular prayer or formulary is required; however, to help focus a proper intention, recitiation of a prayer is suggested. One of the most popular is that composed by St. Alphonsus Liguori:
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Blessed Sacrament.
I love you above all things and I desire you with all my heart.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally,
I ask you to come spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if you were already in my heart
and unite myself to you completely.
Please do not let me ever by separated from you.