Prayers for the Family

Lord God, from You every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. Father, You are love and life. Through Your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman, and through the Holy Spirit, the fountain of divine charity, grant that every family on earth may become for each successive generation a true shrine of life and love. Grant that Your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives for the good of their families and of all the families in the world. Grant that the young may find in the family solid support for their human dignity and for their growth in truth and love. Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which our families sometimes pass. Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that the Church may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission in the family and through the family. We ask this of You, Who is life, truth, and love with the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

O Dear Jesus, I humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our family. May our home be the shrine of peace, purity, love, labor and faith. I beg You, dear Jesus, to protect and Bless all of us, absent and present, living and dead. O Mary Mother of Jesus, and our Mother, pray to Jesus for our family, for all the families of the world, to guard the cradle of the newborn, the schools of the young and their vocations; Blessed Saint Joseph, holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by your prayers in all our necessities of life. Ask of Jesus that special grace which He granted to you, to watch over our home at the pillow of the sick and dying, so that with Mary and with you, heaven may find our family unbroken in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Amen.

Kind Father, I thank You for my home where loved ones dwell and to which my fondest memories now turn. I praise You for the family love and peace and cheer which follow me and comfort me in strange and distant places. I am grateful for all things we share in common: the worthy lessons we learn, the hardships and griefs we sometimes bear, the tasks and pleasures which bind us closer to each other, and the abiding affection and heartfelt prayers which still keep our spirits one in You.

Shelter my home, O God, and all my dear ones there. Make me strong, unselfish, and brave to defend and protect them. Send down Your peace to every family on earth, and grant an abundance of grace to them so that in doing Your will they may merit the joys of eternal salvation. Amen.

O God, in the beginning You brought together man and woman in holy marriage that they might share Your work of creation and bring enriching life to one another. We commend to Your constant care the homes where Your people dwell. Knit together in growing affection those who have been made one flesh so that their love may never fail. Turn the hearts of parents to their children and children to their parents. Take away the roots of bitterness, vanity, and self-seeking that bring dissension where family peace should reign. Inspire them, rather, with loyalty, faith, and sacrifice, that in all the changes and circumstances of life they may stand strongly together in mutual service and love.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who grew within the family of Nazareth, Who loved the Church as His beloved spouse, and gave Himself up for her. Amen.

Lord, grant me time enough to do all the chores, join in the games,
help with the lessons, and say the night prayers and still have a few
moments left over for me......Energy enoughh to be bread-baker and
breadwinner, knee-patcher and peacemaker, ballplayer and ball-juggler....
Hands enough to wipe away the tears, to reach out when I'm needed
to hug and to hold, to tickle and touch....Heart enough to share and to care,
to listen and to understand, and to make a loving home for my family. Amen.

Father, we look to Your loving guidance and order as the pattern of all family life. By following the example of the Holy Family of Your Son, in mutual love and respect, may we come to the joy of our home in heaven. Amen.

Consecration of the Family to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
(done traditionally on the Feast of the Holy Family)

Most Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary, united in perfect love, as You look upon us with mercy and caring, we consecrate our hearts, our lives, our family to You. We know the beautiful example of your home in Nazareth was meant to be a model for each of our families. We hope to have, with your help, the unity and strong, enduring love You gave to one another.

May our home be filled with joy. May sincere affection, patience, tolerance and mutual respect be freely given to all. May our prayers be filled with the needs of others, not just ourselves and may we always be close to your sacraments. Bless those who are present, as well as those who are absent, both the living and the dead; may peace be among us and when we are tested, grant us the Christian acceptance of God's will.

Keep our family close to Your Hearts, may your special protection be with us always. Most Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, hear our prayers.

Some communities have the custom of blessing homes while recalling the visit of the Magi. The household gathers at the manger scene in the home.

All make the Sign of the Cross while the leader begins: "Peace be with this house and with all who live here. Blessed be the name of the Lord"

Leader: "Listen to the words of the Holy Gospel according to John1:1-3, 14" (or Matthew2:1-12)

Everyone then processes from one room to another. In each room, God's blessing is asked on all who dwell there. Each room is blessed with Holy Water. All return to the starting place at the manger scene, and join in reciting the Lord's Prayer.

After a short silence for reflexion and personal prayer, the leader continues: "Lord God of heaven and earth, You revealed Your only-begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who inhabit it. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our concern for others may reflect Your Love. May we be blessed with health and goodness of heart. Thanks to You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever."

Heavenly Father, You have been pleased to let me be called by the name that is yours from all eternity. Help me to be worthy of that name. May I always be for my children a source of life---corporal, intellectual, and spiritual. Enable me to contribute in great part to their physical growth by my work, to their mental advancement by good schooling and to their supernatural life by my prayer and example, so that they may become complete human beings and true children of their heavenly Father.
Let me be conscious that my actions are far more important than my words. May I always give my children a good example in all the situations of life. May I wear my successes modestly, and may my failures find me undaunted; may I be temperate in time of joy and steadfast in time of sorrow. May I remain humble after doing good and contrite after doing evil.
Above all, may I scrupulously respect my children's rights as human persons and their freedom to follow a rightly-formed conscience, while at the same time fulfilling my duty to guide them in the way given us by your Son Jesus. Amen.

Father, it is apparent throughout Your Word that You instituted the family---father, mother, and children. I realize, however, that a family unit can also consist of many other combinations, such as a husband and wife, a father and children, or a mother and children or siblings. Bless all these families with Your boundless Love. Help all parents, whether single or sharing responsibilities with a spouse, to to use wisdom, understanding, and consideration for the entire family unit when making decisions that will affect all those in their households. Open their minds and hearts so that discipline is just, effective, and kind yet firm, teaching the children in their families that there are consequences to their actions. May all the members of each family love and respect the others, recognizing that we are all Your children; and that they extend this love and respect to people outside their own families as well.
I pray that the standard of a godly family would be restored to our nation, and there be a resurgence of its benefits in the public forum. May it become apparent to those who form public opinion that our family values as represented in Scripture are the path in which to lead our nation's families back to You. Amen.

Heavenly Father, most good and gracious God, sustain our family in Your love. Make it a place where holiness and love abound. Help us to learn to be like Jesus in all our actions. Aid our family to imitate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Help us to learn from the good example of others and to give good example to everyone. Assist us in learning to bear our pain and suffering as Jesus did. Aid us in overcoming difficulties and carrying our crosses. Help our family life to lead only to Jesus, the source of true happiness. Please give wholesome habits to our family. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Mary, Mother of God, at your request, Jesus worked His first miracle. He changed water into wine for the wedding guests at Cana in Galilee. Over the centures you have no ceased to obtain countless signs and wonders for the poor, exiled children of Eve. We therefore ask you to intercede with your Divine Son for the miraculous graces which the modern world so desperately needs:

Holy Mary, Virgin Mother of God, you were conceived without sin. I choose you this day as the model for my household, and the intercessor for my family. Through your Immaculate Conception, preserve us from every disaster, from violence, and from misfortune. O holy Virgin, bless and protect us all, strengthen us in trial, and save us from all evil. Amen.

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