Dayn 2 Intention: Family Prayer
“Family prayer has for its very own object family life itself … Joys and sorrows, hopes and disappointments, births and birthday celebrations, wedding anniversaries of the parents, departures, separations and homecomings, important and far-reaching decisions, the death of those who are dear, etc.-all of these mark God’s loving intervention in the family’s history.” (cf. FC 59)
Family prayer is the foundation of family life. Families should come together often to pray for each other, for difficult situations, for people we know who are suffering, and for the holiness of our family members. A family united in prayer is powerful.
“Prayer constitutes an essential part of Christian life, … Indeed, prayer is an important part of our very humanity…. Prayer constitutes the strongest incentive for the Christian family to assume and comply fully with all its responsibilities as the primary and fundamental cell of human society.” (cf. FC 62)
“Families should pray for all of their members, in view of the good which the family is for each individual and which each individual is for the whole family. Prayer strengthens this good, precisely as the common good of the family.” (LF 10)
The Novena Prayer:
St. John Paul II, great champion of the family, we seek your intercession today that our family may be a family of prayer. We ask that you remove all obstacles preventing us from praying as a family. Help us desire to be in union with each other and in union with God through daily prayer. Inspire in us a desire to be holy and do our part to make our family a holy family and ask God to grant us the favor of the following intention(s):
For the success of the upcoming Retreat for Families
(mention any family specific intentions here)
St. John Paul II, help our family to always choose to love as God loves and be a witness to hope in our community.
Closing Prayer – The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.