As the academic year comes to a close, it can feel like we are on the cusp of something new, long after we find ourselves counting down the days until summer vacation. New seasons, opportunities, jobs, relationships, and responsibilities call us into scenarios we may have never imagined, or perhaps, have dreamt about for years.
Catholic Prayers for New Beginnings
Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum of new beginnings, I pray that these words of blessing during times of change, breathe life into your season.
A Prayer for a New Season
Dear Heavenly Father, please be with me, I pray, as I move on from the old to the new.
The joy, memories, and hardships of the last season of my life are behind me. Help me to leave them there, Lord, and not carry them with me into this new season.
Help me to let go of all hurts, anger, and grudges, and see all people as the blessing they are, Your children.
Thank You, Lord, for this opportunity to begin this new adventure with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Blessing for a New Home
O heavenly Father, Almighty God, we humbly beseech Thee to bless and sanctify this house and all who dwell therein and everything else in it, and do Thou vouchsafe to fill it with all good things; grant to them,
O Lord, the abundance of heavenly blessings and from the richness of the earth every substance necessary for life, and finally direct their desires to the fruits of Thy mercy. At our entrance, therefore, deign to bless and sanctify this house as Thou didst deign to bless the house of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; and may the angels of Thy light, dwelling within the walk of this house, protect it and those who dwell therein.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Translated by Most Reverend J. H. Schlarman Bishop of Peoria)
Prayer for a New Job
Blessed St. Joseph, your task as a guardian of the Redeemer and a protector of Virgin Mary made you the head of the Holy Family and the administrator of its material possessions. Today, I am also looking for work, and I am calling on you, as a powerful mediator who, with the help of your spouse, defend me before your Son, to help me find a way to live off the fruits of my work.
Teach me how to be active in my search, open to new opportunities, honest in my relations, reasonable in my demands, determined in fulfilling all of my obligations. St. Joseph of Good Hope, pray for me, protect me, guide me and keep my hopes up. Amen.
Novena for New Friendship
Opening Prayer //
Holy God, Mighty God, Benevolent Creator and Lover of All Life, I praise You and I Glorify You! Your beloved Son has called me “friend!” As I quietly come to You to contemplate the great gift of His gracious friendship to me, please calm my mind and still my body. Bring me to a deep awareness, O My Father in Heaven, of Your presence to me right here, right now . . . . above me, below me, behind me, before me, around me, beside me, within me.
I lovingly thank You for Your infinite goodness to me, in particularly today in the gifts of Jesus’s friendship with me, and what an example He has given to me for my friendship with others. I thank you for the examples the Saints have given me in the ways and blessings of holy friendship. I ask You to grant me the gift of holy friendships in my life, with individuals who will walk faithfully side by side and arm in arm with me, back to You, as we travel our pilgrim journeys on this earth together. Amen.
Morning Prayer // Prayer for a New Day
Gracious God, Thank you for the gift of today.
Refresh me. Invite me to discover your presence
In each person that I meet And every event that I encounter.
Teach me when to speak and when to listen
When to ponder and when to share.
In moments of challenge and decision
Attune my heart to the whisperings of your Wisdom.
As I undertake ordinary and unnoticed tasks,
Gift me with simple joy.
When my day goes well, may I rejoice.
When it grows difficult, surprise me with
New possibilities.
When life is overwhelming, call me to
Sabbath moments
To restore your Peace and Harmony.
May my living today reveal your Goodness.
Prayer for a Newborn/Newly Adopted Baby
God, our Creator, cherish this child.
Jesus, our Savior; protect him/her.
Holy Spirit, our comforter, strengthen him/her.
or:
Source of all blessings, protector of infants,
look with favor on this child, N.
Hold him/her gently in your hands.
When he/she is reborn of water and the Holy Spirit,
bring him/her into the Church,
there to share in your kingdom
and with us to bless your name forever.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen
The parents trace the sign of the cross on the child's forehead.
N., may the Lord Jesus, who loved children,
bless you and keep you in his love,
now and forever.
R/. Amen
Pope Francis’ Springtime Prayer for Farmers
Eternal Father,
maker of heaven and earth,
we bless you and give you glory.
Bless this seed, and make it fruitful.
Look upon our work this season,
and grant that the seeds we plant
will produce plentiful crops,
providing work and food for many.
In your love, give us favorable weather
throughout this growing season.
Make us truly grateful for all our gifts,
and willing to share our goods and talents with others,
especially those without adequate food.
All praise and glory are yours, Almighty Father,
through your son Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
What season do you find yourself beginning at this time? What fruit might the Lord be cultivating in you?
Catholic Prayers for New Beginnings #BISblog //Click to tweet
Katie Cassady is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. She is a wife and mom to three little girls in Denver, CO. Steeped in theological reflection, beekeeping and motherhood, she is appreciative of any and all wisdom she can glean from those living intentional lives of faith. Find out more about her here. Read all of Katie's posts here.
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