Prayers for the Health and Dignity of the Sick

Prayer For Renewed Strength

O Lord, my God,
Please give me the grace to maintain my hope in you through all of life’s changes
and to taste and see your goodness.
I praise you for the gifts you have showered
on me for so many years.
Help me find joy in a renewed
strength of spirit. Please bless me with good
health, and inspire me to be a good example to others. For you are Lord, forever and ever. Amen.

A Blessing Prayer for Those Who Are Sick

All praise and glory is yours, Lord our God,
for you have called us to serve you in love.
Bless N., so that he/she may bear this illness
in union with your Son's obedient suffering.
Restore him/her to health, and lead him/her to glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Blessing Prayer for An Elderly Person Who is Sick

All praise and glory is yours, Lord our God, for you have called us to serve you in love. Bless all who have grown old in your service, and give N. strength and courage

to continue to follow Jesus your Son.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Elderly, Saint Pope John Paul II, 1999

Grant, O Lord of life,
That we may savor every season of our lives as a gift
filled with promise for the future.
Grant that we may lovingly accept your will,
and place ourselves each day in your merciful hands.
And when the moment of our definitive “passage” comes, grant that we may face it with serenity,
without regret for what we shall leave behind.
For in meeting you,
after having sought you for so long,
we shall find once more every authentic good
which we have known here on earth,
in the company of all who have gone before us
marked with the sign of faith and hope.
Mary, Mother of pilgrim humanity,
pray for us “now and at the hour of our death.”
Keep us ever close to Jesus, your beloved Son and our brother, the Lord of life and glory. Amen!

Prayer For All About To Die

Lord Jesus Christ,
as you stood by the bed of good Saint Joseph and gently led him home to heaven,
so shepherd every soul about to die
to a paradise of perfect peace.
Let the tears we shed upon their passing stand witness to our love for them
and the depth of our thanksgiving
for the gift of their lives
and the grace of a good death.
For you are Lord, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to St. Joseph

St. Joseph, in the popular piety of the Church, has been considered the patron saint of those dying since he himself had the privilege of dying in the arms of Mary and Jesus. “Since we all must die, we should cherish a special devotion to St. Joseph, that he may obtain for us a happy death.” (St. Alphonsus Ligouri)

O Blessed Joseph, you gave your last breath in the loving embrace of Jesus and Mary. When the seal of death shall close my life, come with Jesus and Mary to aid me. Obtain for me this solace for that hour – to die with their holy arms around me. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I commend my soul, living and dying, into your sacred arms. Amen.

Prayer of Commendation of the Dying

Welcome your servant, Lord, into the place of salvation which, because of your mercy, he/she rightly hoped for.

Response: Lord, save your people.
Deliver your servant, Lord, from every distress. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered Noah from the flood. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered Job from his sufferings. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered Moses from the hand of the Pharaoh. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered Daniel from the den of lions. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered the three young men from the fiery furnace. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered Susanna from her false accusers. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered David from the attacks of Saul and Goliath. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, as you delivered Peter and Paul from prison. R.
Deliver your servant, Lord, through Jesus our Savior, who suffered death for us and gave us eternal life. R.

Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of the world,
we pray for your servant N., and commend him/her to your mercy.
For his/her sake you came down from heaven;
receive him/her now into the joy of your kingdom.
For though he/she has sinned, he/she has not denied the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but has believed in God and has worshiped his/her Creator. Amen.

Litany: Mary, Mother of Life

The Response is: Mary, pray for us.
Mary, Mother of all Life,
help us to respect human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. R.

Mary, Mother of Compassion,
You showed us how valuable a single life can be;
Help us to guard and protect the lives of all people entrusted to our care. R.

Mary, Mother of the Child Jesus,
with St. Joseph you formed the Holy Family. Guard and protect all families in this earthly life; R.

Mary, Mother Most Holy,
You sanctified the vocation of motherhood;
Pour out your heavenly aid on all mothers and help them to be holy. R.

Mary, Mother of Sorrows,
Simeon’s prophecy foretold that a sword of suffering would pierce your heart; Bring comfort and hope to all mothers who suffer over their children. R.

Mary, Full of Grace,
You had a choice in responding to God’s call; help us always to say “Yes” to the will of God in our lives, and strive always to do whatever he tells us. R.

Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted,
Pour forth your heavenly grace on all who are in need of God’s healing, Especially those involved in abortion;
Help them to experience the love and mercy of Christ, your Son. R.

Mary, Intercessor and Advocate,
We lift up the poor, the displaced, the marginalized and vulnerable members of society; Help them to never abandon hope, but to place their trust in the God who gave them life. R.

Mary, Mother of the Word Incarnate, you bore in your womb him whom the heavens cannot contain; Help us to bear witness to Christ by the example of our lives and show the world the extravagant love of God. R.

All:

Remember, o most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother. To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer them. Amen.

Intercessions:

For persons who are elderly:
that we might cherish their presence in our midst and drink deeply of their wisdom; We pray to the Lord:

For all who are about to die:
that through our love, care, and devotion, they might know the beauty of life,
as they prepare for death;
We pray to the Lord:

For all who suffer:
that the Lord will provide them with the comfort of family and friends and interior peace in prayer, that they
will have hope in eternal life;
We pray to the Lord:

For grandparents:
that through their prayers and example they might teach their grandchildren the beauty of living the Gospel of Life; We pray to the Lord:

For all people in nursing homes:
that we would be inspired to visit them, and remind them of their great worth; We pray to the Lord:

For those denied adequate care:
that we might stand up for their God-given dignity and assist them in their needs;
We pray to the Lord:

For elderly parents and godparents:
that the love and respect of their children might sustain them and bring them joy; We pray to the Lord:

For all who are forgotten or thrown away,
and especially for the poor, the sick and the aged: that God might change our hearts and move us to love them as the image of Christ;
We pray to the Lord:

For those who have grown tired of life,
and especially for those tempted to suicide: that God might grant them patient endurance and the support of loved ones;
We pray to the Lord:

For doctors, nurses, caregivers and family members who care for the sick with gentleness and compassion: that they may see themselves as Apostles of Life;
We pray to the Lord:

For all who care for the dying:
that through the intercession of Saint John the Apostle and the Blessed Virgin Mary,
they might dedicate their ministry to the Cross of Christ; We pray to the Lord:

For teachers in schools of medicine and nursing: that their love for life and healing
might inspire their students;
We pray to the Lord:

For those tempted to despair because of constant pain: that they might join their suffering
to the Cross of Christ;
We pray to the Lord:

For nurses and all professionals
who care for the sick and dying:
that they will be given the grace to
love each patient with the love of Christ,
and to never see those they care for as a burden; We pray to the Lord:

For those who have grown weak or infirm:
that we might see God’s power in their fragility
and experience a new revelation of God’s love for them; We pray to the Lord:

For all who live in nursing homes,
and especially for those who are alone or in pain: that we might cherish the gift of their wisdom, and the perduring example of their faith;
We pray to the Lord:

That the sick may find strength and courage in the cross of Christ and discover
the redemptive value of their suffering;
We pray to the Lord:

That the elderly may cherish each moment of their lives, and in their sunset years experience
the love and attention they need;
We pray to the Lord:

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