www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Prayer Forum Prayer Group for the Holy Father

Dear Friends,

We all know about the struggles and ongoing suffering of our Holy Father.

I would like to start a prayer group right here consisting of all those who will commit to praying for the Holy Father daily, from now until God deigns to take him to Himself.

There are no dues to be paid, no certificates or conditions of membership other than the desire to pray for the intentions of the Holy Father daily.

I'm signing up now.

Who else?

Alex

Slava Isusu Christu!

Count me in, Brother Alex! I was just discussing doing something like this with my girlfriend this past weekend. I'm sure she'll "enroll" as well. She's Polish, after all, and the Holy Father has an incredibly special place in her heart.

In Christ,
mikey.

Dear Mikey,

God bless both of you!

Who's next here?

Come on, Forumites!

God needs you to pray for His Pope!

Alex

And here's a third one for your Group Alex.

Anhelyna

Slava Isusu Christu!

Alex,

Do you have any sort of "rule" in mind, something that we call can do together, even if separated by land and ocean?

In Christ,
mikey.

You Can count me in on the prayer group.Greg

Dear Mikey,

My own preference for a rule of prayer for the Pope is that prayer which the Holy Father himself has called "my favourite prayer."

Perhaps we can do one decade of the rosary/rule of the MOther of God as St Seraphim of Sarov called it, each day for him?

And we can meditate on the Luminous Mysteries, as the Pope has brought them forward for us.

What I think is a good thing to do is to include a brief reflection on each mystery at the end of the Hail Mary, in the Byzantine case, between the "Christ the Saviour ___ the Redeemer of our souls."

For the luminous mysteries, these could be:

1) "Who enlightened the whole world in the Jordan"

2) "Who heeded your intercession at Cana in Galilee"

3) "Whom we are to obey in all things"

4) "Who transfigures us in His Divine Life"

5) "Who gives us His Body and Blood in Holy Communion"

This really makes the Rosary a very meaningful and easy to say prayer!

For the Joyful Mysteries"

1) "Who you conceived by the Holy Spirit"

2) "Whom your soul magnifies"

3) "Whom you placed on the manger in Bethlehem"

4) "the Light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel"

5) "Whom you found in the Temple among His Father's affairs"

The Sorrowful Mysteries:

1) "Whose sweat became as great drops of blood"

2) "By Whose stripes we are healed"

3) "the Bridegroom, Crowned with thorns"

4) "Because of Whom your soul was pierced with a sword"

5) "from Whose Side flowed Blood and Water"

Glorious Mysteries

1) "Who first appeared to you after His Resurrection"

2) "Who ascended to heaven and sits at the Right Hand of the Father"

3) "Who sent us the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life"

4) "Who glorified you in His Kingdom"

5) "Who crowned you as our Holy Protection"

This is how St Louis de Montfort prayed the Rosary.

And the Pope experienced a renewal of soul at the reading of the works of St Louis, as he has himself said. He has followed St Louis' inspiration all his life.

Alex

Count me in, too, Alex.

I too would like to be included in this group. Although I pray for the Holy Father each day, both privately and in the celebration of the Liturgy, I am more than happy to have the added privilege to join with other Christians in a special way, to pray for the intentions of this extremely important leader who has done so much to influence the greater good of the whole world.

I was reflecting the other day on how this pontificate has, after 25 years, been a real part of the lives of so many of us, especially those of us who have sojourned from "later youth" to "middle age" during its course. I remember where I was on the day of his election, while on a pilgrimage with my family and a group of religious sisters, during my 11th. grade High School year.

It is very thought-provoking to reflect and reminisce on how far I and all of us have come since that historical day, - "blessed" as we have been, "from our mother's arms, on our way," (as a popular hymn states). May these "countless gifts of love" which have been our guide and encouragement throughout our lives thus far, "still be ours today" as we continue our sojourn through life, for as long as God's will for each of us prescribes.

I cannot help but be sentimental about the memorious time of his election and installation and the tremendous impact it had on the world at the time. From that moment, his personal approach to the papacy and his transformation of it from a particularly Catholic institution to a worldwide voice for not only religious but moral and humanist concerns have raised the Petrine office to be one to which the entire world looks for guidance.

Not a small amount of this development in the role of the Pope is due to peoples' impression that John Paul has always spoken the truth to them, and this from his heart and from the wealth of his own life's experience, which unlike previous pontiffs, has included a wide variety of circumstances and activities, to which many people can relate on various levels. This ability to relate to the plight of others from his own experiences, has lent so much credibility to his words and actions that one can no longer say that the Pope speaks as an type of aristocrat or pompous ruler, removed as it were, from the worldly experiences of everyday life and people.

And I cannot help but remember fondly, the joy and fascination that I felt as a high school senior, to be among the crowd of enthusiasts that filled both Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, during that ever-memorable 1979 visit to New York. Although papal pilgrimages have become commonplace since that first year of John Paul's pontificate, it was for us then, a new and unique experience to be able to see a pope up close and in person. The main words of the theme song during his meeting with young people at "The Garden" were "We are Today." Looking back to this occasion, I certainly hope that my life so far has made a positive contribution to the aspirations expressed in that song and during that historic meeting, when the Pope asked all of us, in our struggle to find meaning in contemporary life to, "Look to Christ."

Certainly, the ministry of the Holy Father has had and will continue to have a great impact on each of us. As has been often said regarding this pope, it will take several generations and even longer, for much, not to mention all, of his teaching, example and influence on the church and world to be absorbed by society, both ecclesiastical and secular.

Let us give thanks to God for these 25 years of life with Pope John Paul II, and pray that we have the wisdom and prudence to put what he has taught us into practical application, now and in the years to come.

God bless you all,

Fr. Joe

Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Joanne Paulo; Dominus conservet eum et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum ejus!!

I'm on board.

But I'm not fluent in Latin, its been 44 years since being a altar boy.


James

Please also accept my entry and humble prayers for the Holy Father.

I'm in!

May the Lord preserve him and guide him and give him health.

May the Lord support him in his work of service among the Churches as touchstone of unity in Faith and as the Patriarch of the West. May he be granted life to help us to be not afraid so that we can show our love for eachother.

May we learn from his example how to bear the burdens of our stage of life until the Lord takes them from us.

May He lead His servant John Paul II and all of us on our journey to Himself.

May He have mercy on us all.

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your Christian generosity!!

And, remember, there are no dues involved in this prayer association . . .

Let us support the Holy Father in his struggles with our prayer and our love.

Perhaps the Administrator could, after we get more posts here, send this thread to the Vatican?

Alex

Count me in!

Sam