How often do you pray for your family? Praying for our family and the souls of our loved ones should be a daily practice. The following prayers were taken from Manual of Prayers for the Laity and include prayers for spouses and children.
FOR A HUSBAND OR WIFE.
For a Man Praying for His Wife.
O gracious Father, Maker and Preserver of heaven and earth, who in the beginning didst institute matrimony, thereby foreshadowing the mystical union of the Church with our Savior Christ, who, in the time of His ministry upon earth, did honor marriage with His first miracle: enable me, I pray Thee, by Thy grace, to live in holiness and purity with the wife whom Thou hast given me. Mortify in me all violence of earthly passion, all selfishness and inconsiderateness (here name any besetting sin which may be a hindrance to you), that I may love her as Christ loved His Church, cherish and comfort her as my own body, and have as great care for her happiness as for my own. Grant that we may live in peace, without contention; in unity, without discord. [Give us, O Lord, discreet hearts and understanding minds, to bring up our children in Thy faith and fear, that they may be obedient to Thee and to Thy commandments, and to all that Thou requirest of them in duty towards their parents.] And give us, O Lord, a competency of estate, to maintain ourselves and our family according to that rank and calling wherein Thou hast placed us, without excess or vainglory, in singleness and pureness of heart. Grant this for Jesus Christ’s sake, to whom with Thee and the Holy Ghost be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
For a Woman Praying for Her Husband.
O merciful Lord God, who in the beginning didst take Eve out of the side of Adam and didst give her to him as a helpmate: give me grace to live worthy of the honorable estate of matrimony to which Thou hast called me, that I may love my husband with a pure and chaste love, acknowledging him as my head, and truly reverencing and obeying him in all good things; that thereby I may please him and live with him in all Christian quietness. Keep me from all worldliness and vanity. Help me, O Lord, that I may, under him, prudently and discreetly guide and govern his household. Let no fault of mine aggravate any sins by which he may be especially tempted; enable me to soothe him in perplexity, to cheer him in difficulty, to refresh him in weariness, and, as far as may be, to advise him in doubt. [Give me understanding so to fulfil my part in the education of our children, that they may be our joy in this world and our glory in the next.] Grant that our perfect union here may be the beginning of the still more perfect and blissful union hereafter in Thy kingdom; and this I pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer to Be Said by Husband or Wife.
O merciful God, we humbly beseech Thee to send Thy blessing continually upon us and to make us thankful for all that Thou hast already vouchsafed unto us; and as Thou hast made us one in the mystical grace of matrimony, grant that we may be also inwardly of one heart and of one mind, paying due honor to each other, united in love to Thee and to each other in Thee; living together in peace and holiness, as faithful members of Thy Church, denying ourselves, and being a mutual help, comfort, and support to each other, all the days of our life. [Give us grace to train our children in Thy faith and fear.] Bless us with health and strength, if it be Thy will, and with whatever else Thy good providence shall see to be best for our souls and bodies. Fit and prepare us day by day for our departure hence, that we may together inherit eternal life in Thy heavenly kingdom. Through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
PRAYERS OF PARENTS, FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
Almighty God, the Father and Maker of us all, who of Thy blessing and goodness hast vouchsafed to make me a father [or mother] of children: be pleased to accept my hearty thanksgiving and devout praise for the same; grant me Thy heavenly grace and assistance so to train my children in Thy faith, fear, and love, that as they advance in years, they may grow in grace and may hereafter be found in the number of Thine elect. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O Father of mankind, who hast given unto me these my children and committed them to my charge to bring them up for Thee, and to prepare them for everlasting life: assist me with Thy heavenly grace, that I may be able to fulfil this most sacred duty and stewardship. Teach me both what to give and what to withhold; when to reprove and when to forbear; make me gentle, yet firm; considerate and watchful; and deliver me equally from the weakness of indulgence, and the excess of severity; and grant that, both by word and example, I may be careful to lead them in the ways of wisdom and true piety, so that at last I may, with them, be admitted to the unspeakable joys of our true home in heaven, in the company of the blessed Angels and Saints.
O heavenly Father, I commend my children unto Thee. Be Thou their God and Father and mercifully supply whatever is wanting in me through frailty or negligence. Strengthen them to overcome the corruptions of the world, to resist all solicitations to evil, whether from within or without; and deliver them from the secret snares of the enemy. Pour Thy grace into their hearts and confirm and multiply in them the gifts of Thy Holy Spirit, that they may daily grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; and so, faithfully serving Thee here, may come to rejoice in Thy presence hereafter.
A CHILD’S PRAYER.
O almighty God, who hast given unto me my father and mother and made them to be an image of Thine authority, and love, and tender watchfulness; and hast commanded me to love, and honor, and obey them in all things: give me grace cheerfully and with my whole heart to keep this Thy law. Help me to love them fervently, to honor them truly, to yield a ready obedience to their commands, to comply with their wishes, to study their happiness in everything, and to bear their rebukes with patience and humility. Deliver me, O God, from pride, rebellion, and wilfulness, from passion and stubbornness, from sloth and carelessness. Make me diligent in all my duties and studies, and patient in all my trials; that so living, I may deserve to be Thy child, who art our Father in Heaven.
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This article is taken from a chapter in Manual of Prayers for the Laity by Council of Baltimore which is available from TAN Books.
