Share Your Favorite Discernment Prayers Here!

[Veritas]

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[color="#006400"][size=5][b][center]Vocation Discernment Prayers[/center][/b][/size][/color]

[b]Prayer to know one's vocation[/b]
Lord, my God and my loving Father, you have made me to know you, to love you, to serve you,
and thereby to find and to fulfill myself. I know that you are in all things, and that every path can lead me to you. But of them all, there is one especially by which you want me to come to you.
Since I will do what you want of me, I pray you, send your Holy Spirit to me: into my mind,
to show me what you want of me; into my heart, to give me the determination to do it,
and to do it with all my love, with all my mind, and with all my strength right to the end. Amen.

[b]Prayer of Thomas Merton[/b]
My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I think I am following your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
Does in fact please you.
And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road
Though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though,
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
And you will never leave me to face my struggles alone. Amen.

[b]Prayer for discernment[/b]
God our Father,
You have a plan for each one of us,
You hold out to us a future full of hope.
Give us the wisdom of your Spirit
so that we can see the shape of your plan
in the gifts you have given us,
and in the circumstances of our daily lives.
Give us the freedom of your Spirit,
to seek you with all our hearts,
and to choose your will above all else.
We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

[b]Prayer of the Holy Father, John Paul II[/b]
Holy Father, look upon this humanity of ours,
that is taking its first steps along the path of the Third Millennium.
Its life is still deeply marked
by hatred, violence and oppression,
but the thirst for justice, truth and grace
still finds a space in the hearts of many people,
who are waiting for someone to bring salvation,
enacted by You through Your Son Jesus.
There is the need for courageous heralds of the Gospel,
for generous servants of suffering humanity.
Send holy priests to Your Church, we pray,
who may sanctify Your people
with the tools of Your grace.
Send numerous consecrated men and women,
that they may show Your holiness in the midst of the world.
Send holy labourers into Your vineyard,
that they may labour with the fervour of charity
and, moved by Your Holy Spirit,
may bring the salvation of Christ
to the farthest ends of the Earth. Amen.


[color="#008000"][b]~ [url="http://www.carmelitedcj.org/vocation.asp"]http://www.carmelitedcj.org/vocation.asp[/url][/b][/color]

[center]God Has Created me

to do some definite service

God has committed some work to me

which God has not committed to another

i have my mission

i may never know it in this life

but i shall be told it in the next

i am a link in a chain

a bond of connection between persons

God has not created me for naught

i shall do good-i shall do God's work

i shall be an angel of peace

a preacher of truth in my own place

while not intending it

if i do but keep the commandments

Therefore i will trust God

whatever i am, i can never be thrown away

if i am in sickness, my sickness may serve God

in perplexity, my perplexity may serve God

If i am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve God

God does nothing in vain

God knows what God is about

God may take away my friends

God may throw me among strangers

God may make me feel desolate

make my spirits sink

hide my future from me -still

God knows what God is about

~ John Henry Cardinal Newman[/center]

[/font]

Edited May 10, 2007 by Veritas

[cathoholic_anonymous]

Lord, have mercy on me,
The sea is so big,
And my boat is so small.

- Breton fishermen's prayer

I am two people;
one is longing to serve thee utterly, and one is afraid.
O Lord, have compassion on me.

I am two people;
one will labour to the end, and one is already weary.
O Lord, have compassion on me.

I am two people;
one knows the suffering of the world, and one knows his own.
O Lord, have compassion on me.

- Prayer found on a bulletin board in a local church

[Veritas]

+

No more? Don't we phatmassers pray?

[Margaret]

This is simple but I love it.

Just pray three Hail Marys and say "Lord direct my vocation, Mother teach me to listen to your Son's voice."

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[b]Prayer to the Holy Spirit[/b][u][/u]

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit, and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.

And, last of all, my absolute favourite prayer:

Mine are the heavens
and mine is the earth.
Mine are the nations,
the just are mine and mine the sinners.
The angels are mine,
and the Mother of God, and all things are mine;
and God himself is mine and for me,
because Christ is mine and all for me.
What do you ask, then, and seek, my soul?
Yours is all of this, and all is for you.
Do not engage yourself in something less,
nor pay heed to the crumbs which fall from your Father's table.
Go forth and exult in your Glory!
Hide yourself in It and rejoice,
and you will obtain the deepest desires of your heart.

- St John of the Cross

Edited May 11, 2007 by Cathoholic Anonymous

[Tina44]

Good and Gracious God,
You have a great and loving plan for our world and for me.
I wish to share in that plan fully, faithfully, and joyfully.
Help me to understand what it is you wish me to do with my life.
Help me to be attentive to the signs that You give me about preparing for the future.
And once I have heard and understood your call, give me the strength and the grace to follow it with generosity and love. Amen.


Or, meditate on the words of the Blessed Mother at the wedding feast at Cana: "Do whatever He tells you."

[TotusTuusMaria]

[center]J.M.J.[/center]

I like this one:

I am yours,
I was born for you.
What is your will with me?
O Life! O Sunlight!
Shining in stainless purity!
Since I am yours,
Yours only,
What is your will with me?
-St. Teresa of Avila

[Veritas]

[quote name='TotusTuusMaria' post='1271456' date='May 11 2007, 06:49 PM'][center]J.M.J.[/center]

I like this one:

I am yours,
I was born for you.
What is your will with me?
O Life! O Sunlight!
Shining in stainless purity!
Since I am yours,
Yours only,
What is your will with me?
-St. Teresa of Avila[/quote]

+

Wow.

[philosophette]

My God, I desire to love you perfectly,
with all my heart, which You made for Yourself,
with all my mind, which You alone can satisfy,
with all my soul, which longs to soar to You,
with all my strength, my feeble strength
which shrinks from so great a task
and yet can choose nothing else
but spend itself in loving You.
Claim my heart; Free my mind;
Uplift my soul; Reinforce my strength;
That where I fail, You may succeed in me
and make me love You perfectly,
through Jesus Christ, my Lord.

[Tina44]

I forgot this one....
Not really a discernment prayer but it certainly helps in one's relationship with God. I meditate on it alot when I am stressed and worry too much

"Your soul will always find its rest in Me. I don't pressure you, cajole you, make demands of you; I will never injure you. In Me alone will you discover the sweetest solace. In Me you have complete acceptance and understanding. You have a solid place to stand.

The world around you may tremble with confusion and roar with fury, but I am your rock. Here, with Me, you will not be broken apart or shaken. I have made many promises to you, and of this you may be sure: I am strong, powerful enough to be your strength. And you may be sure, also, that I love you. I will always love you. I am your strong tower, I am your Beloved, and your friend.

Come now, and experience the peace your soul longs for; take shelter in My wings; take consolation in My love."

[DiscerningSoul]

[url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=56840&hl=vocation+prayers"]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?s...ocation+prayers[/url]
Abit back I asked for prayers here is the link to them.

But I love each prayer, keep them comming!

Jessica
[url="http://www.xanga.com/adiscerningsoul"]http://www.xanga.com/adiscerningsoul[/url]

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

It is not necessarily a prayer, but I find it very beautiful.


God has created me
to do Him some definite service
He has committed some work to me
which He has not committed to another

I have my mission
I may never know it in this life
but I shall be told it in the next

I am a link in a chain
A bond of connections between persons
He has not created me for naught
I shall do good-I shall do His work
I shall be an angel of peace
a preacher of truth in my own place
while not intending it
if I do but keep His commandments

Therefore I will trust Him
whatever I am, I can never be thrown away
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him
in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him
If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him

He does nothing in vain
He knows what He is about
He may take away my friends
He may throw me among strangers
He may hide my future from me-still

He knows what He is about.

Cardinal John Neumann

[Totus Tuus]

My favorite discernment prayer is Lectio Divina

And the Rosary.

[Ora et Labora]

the rosary! thanks for the posted prayers everyone.

[franciscanheart]