Welcome to the Athboy Parish Prayer Space
Prayer is an essential and life giving part of our faith. Spontaneous prayer together with traditional prayers are important in our lives. One can be enriched by the other and our faith can be helped to grow and develop by using both.
This space is dedicated to prayers, scripture and inspirational thoughts that you may find useful.
Prayer at the Crib
God of every nation and people, from the very beginning of creation you have made manifest your love: when our need for a Saviour was great you sent your Son to be born of the Virgin Mary. To our lives he brings joy and peace, justice, mercy and love. Lord, bless us as we look upon this manger; may it remind us of the humble birth of Jesus, and raise up our thoughts to him, who is God-with-us and Saviour of all, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
A Prayer at the Start of a New Year
Grateful for the blessings of a year gone by,
and filled with hope as a new year begins, let us pray:
An old year has once more come to a close;
we face with confidence and hope the beginning of a new,
with all the promise that it holds, the mixture of grief and blessing.
Be with us, Father, as this New Year unfolds.
Through our efforts and your help,
deepen the measure of peace that is ours;
bind us more closely together to each other
and to you through your great gift of love.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer at Christmas
My God, you have mercifully and patiently led me through this busy year,
giving more than I asked or deserved,
grant me at this Christmas time, the grace of Jesus Christ.
Let the gracious spirit of Jesus
-the spirit of the little child as it knocks at hearts of men-
Enter my life and bless it.
Let duty become touched with beauty,
and justice be forgotten in love.
At other times I ask that I may do my duty;
today I ask that I may walk uprightly,
today I ask that I bow to others’ needs.
Let my ears hear the cry of the needy
and my heart feel the love of the unlovely.
Give my hands strength not to do great things;
but to do small things graciously.
Let me accept kindness with humility.
Heal the wound of misunderstanding,
of jealousy or regret that scars my heart
and let the gentler air of the dear Christmas spirit touch my life
as the cold winter is touched by the gentler days of spring.
As the old year ends, and the new year begins,
grant me peace in my own heart;
That those I love, and those I may help, may have sweet joy and rest. Amen
Christmas Prayer
Dear loving Lord,
you didn’t come to a perfect world,
Your came to a people
full of complexity and confusion.
Your birth itself
surrounded by conflict, doubt and fear.
Your came humbly, oh Lord,
born of a virgin,
to a simple family,
to walk a journey of tears and glory.
Now come again, dear Jesus,
Come to my fragile heart,
let my heart be your manger.
Prepare that quiet place
where peace and joy are born again.
O, Lord, let me humble
Receiving and giving your ever loving mercy.
May my soul sing praises to only You.
For You alone are holy,
Your alone are Lord,
The Most High Jesus Christ.
Amen.
If You Look for Me at Christmas
You won’t need a special star,
I’m no longer just in Bethlehem,
I’m right there where you are.
You may not be aware of Me,
amid the celebrations –
You’ll have to look beyond the stores and all the decorations.
But if you take a moment from your list of things to do,
And listen to your heart You’ll find I’m waiting there for you.
You’re the one I want to be with,
You’re the reason that I came,
And you’ll find Me in the stillness
As I’m whispering your name. Jesus.
“The season of Advent restores a horizon of hope; a hope which does not disappoint for it is founded on God’s Word ….. A hope which does not disappoint, simply because the Lord’s never disappoints Pope Francis
God of light, & look upon us in love, and fill us with the Spirit of Jesus,
That we may love you and serve you in the your Kingdom.
Protect us during the week and keep us watchful in prayer
as we wait the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the light of the world, and who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen
O God who see how your people faithfully await the Feast of the Lord’s Nativity,
enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great a salvation
and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing.
Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God for ever and ever. Amen.
ADVENT FAMILY PRAYER
Loving God,
during this holy season of Christmas,
we ask you for your blessing on all families,
Let Mary’s openness to your wondrous way be
and inspiration to place all trust in you,
Let Joseph’s courage provide hope
during times of anxiety and uncertainty.
Let Jesus’ life ignite all families with a spirit of light and love,
May the grace that encircled the Holy Family widen to embrace all families.
For this we pray.
Amen.
AN ADVENT POEM
If you want,
the Virgin will come walking down the road
pregnant with the holy and say,
“ I need shelter for the night,
please take me inside your heart,
my time is so close.”
Then, under the roof of your soul,
you will witness the sublime intimacy,
the divine, the Christ, taking birth forever,
as she grasps your hand for help,
for each of us is the midwife of God,
each of us.
Yes there, under the dome of our being does creation
come into existence eternally,
through your womb, dear pilgrim
– the sacred womb of your soul,
as God grasps our arms for help:
for each of us is his beloved servant, never far.
If you want,
the Virgin will come walking down the street
pregnant with Light and sing.
St John of the Cross Feast Day Dec 14th
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness
send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do
seek quiet places to hear you voice each day.
We who are anxious over so many things
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways
long for complete joy in your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy
seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people walking in darkness yet seeking the light.
To you we say “Come Lord Jesus”
Amen
ST JUDE’S PRAYER FOR ADVENT
Lord Jesus, Your power is infinite,
your glory everlasting.
Quietly you come as a tiny baby.
Ready for my heart for the miracle of your birth.
Bring bright light to this dark world,
Waiting silently for your warmth in the coldness of the night.
Waiting is itself your gift,
animating my heart with anticipation.
Bless me with needed patience and faithful discipline
to prayerfully prepare to welcome and greet you.
St Jude, eternal hope,
Let your holiness flow into me.
May Christmas joy and burning love take root in me
and grow until they bloom on Christmas Day,
to carry joy to the world and inspire hope to renew the face of the earth.
Amen
Advent is the period of time before Christmas during which Christians wait for the birth of Jesus. The word “advent” comes from a Latin word which means “coming” or “come into,” as Jesus came into the world for us.
The circle of the Advent Wreath, which has no beginning or end, symbolises the eternity of God, the immortality of the soul, and the everlasting life we find in Jesus Christ. The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and one candle is lit each Sunday.
The First candle represents HOPE—because the prophets foretold the birth of Jesus and the people wait in anticipation of the coming Messiah.
The Second candle represents PEACE—Jesus’s coming brings an end to all division and destruction, bringing peace on earth.
The Third candle (pink) represents JOY—as we get closer to the birth of Jesus, our joyful anticipation increases.
The Fourth candle represents LOVE—the love of God for us that he would send His only Son into the world