The “Offering of Self” Prayer from St. Ignatius of Loyola
Pray this short prayer to make an offering of Self from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Pray this short prayer to make an offering of Self from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Prayer is a form of communication with God that draws us closer to Him and to doing His holy will. There are many efficacious ways to pray but the best thing to do is to start by opening your heart and humble yourself before God. But it is hard to do this if you do not know God or understand His ways. How do you enter into His presence and open your heart to receive His grace?
The Catholic church has a long history of teaching Christians how to pray. There are five ways to pray, or types of prayers. These ways to pray are worship and praise, petition and intercession, supplication, thanksgiving, and spiritual warfare.
If you are new to prayer and do not know where to start, begin by structuring your day around prayer and use the prayers that were given to us by the angels and saints. Many of them are here on this website. When you have prayed these prayers and meditated on His holy word, then open your heart to pray in your own words. Then spend time in adoration, seeking to know Him in silence. This is the most powerful and beautiful way to pray – to sit in His presence and love Him in silence and let Him fill you with grace.
The Anima Christi prayer translation is “Soul of Christ” in English. It is a beautiful and poetic prayer after receiving holy communion. The Anima Christi dates to the 14th century. Many faithful continue to pray this profoundly Christ-centered prayer before or after receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
“Jesus My Redeemer” is a prayer of praise repentance and love for private devotion. It begins: “My God, my most gracious good, I beg You to give me the grace to accept the gift You have freely offered me.”
The Litany of Transverberation is a prayer to saints who experienced heart pangs in prayer. Transverberation is the act of being ‘pierced through.’
“O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!” The Surrender Novena prayer was written by Servant of God Don Dolindo Ruotolo.
Our Lady of Sorrows, also known as the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, or the 7 Dolors of Mary, is a meditation on the lamentations of Mary.
“Dear Jesus” is a prayer of repentance for sinning against God and also a prayer of reparation for loved ones in our life away from God and for all sinners.
