Month: October 2024

Teach Us To Pray

Gratitude Prayer

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

Novena of Gratitude – Day 6

Lord God, we do not always remember to thank You as we ought for all You have done for us and given us. We praise You for Your goodness and offer our prayers of thanksgiving to You today for all You have done for us and given us.

Throughout our lives, we find ourselves in need of many things. We often ask You to help us in material or spiritual ways. Sometimes we do not understand how You are working in our lives, but other times we see clearly how You answer our prayers.

We thank You for all of Your blessings, and we particularly thank You today for answering our prayers!

Help us to continually turn to You for all of our needs. Help us to grow in trust in You each day of our lives.

And I especially pray in this novena (mention your intentions here).

Lord, hear our prayers!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Learn more at Pray More Novenas

Teach Us To Pray

Gratitude Prayer

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

Novena of Gratitude – Day 5

Lord God, we do not always remember to thank You as we ought for all You have done for us and given us. We praise You for Your goodness and offer our prayers of thanksgiving to You today for all You have done for us and given us.

Our family members and the friendships we have with others are great gifts You have given to us. We cannot fully grasp the depth of how these loved ones You have put into our lives have helped us and given our life meaning.

We thank You for all of Your blessings, and we particularly thank You today for giving us the many family members and friends we love!

Help us to grow in friendship with You each day. Help us to do all we can to advance in holiness in our lives.

And I especially pray in this novena (mention your intentions here).

Lord, hear our prayers!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Learn more at Pray More Novenas

Teach Us To Pray

Gratitude Prayer

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

Novena of Gratitude – Day 4

Lord God, we do not always remember to thank You as we ought for all You have done for us and given us. We praise You for Your goodness and offer our prayers of thanksgiving to You today for all You have done for us and given us.

We do not always see the many spiritual blessings and graces that You give to us, but You provide for us the ability to grow close to You and be holy. You send us the gifts of actual graces and sanctifying grace to help us become holier.

We thank You for all of Your blessings, and we particularly thank You today for giving us many spiritual blessings to help us toward holiness!

Help us to do all we can to grow closer to You in our lives. Help us to make our relationship with You our top priority in life.

And I especially pray in this novena (mention your intentions here).

Lord, hear our prayers!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Learn more at Pray More Novenas

Teach Us To Pray

Gratitude Prayer

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

Novena of Gratitude – Day 3

Lord God, we do not always remember to thank You as we ought for all You have done for us and given us. We praise You for Your goodness and offer our prayers of thanksgiving to You today for all You have done for us and given us.

Many people suffer from poverty and often go without basic necessities in life. You have provided many things for us, and we do not always thank You properly for all the material necessities that we have.

We thank You for all of Your blessings, and we particularly thank You today for giving us the material things that we need!

Help us to always turn to You for all that we need in our lives. Help us to grow in trust in Your providence for us each day.

And I especially pray in this novena (mention your intentions here).

Lord, hear our prayers!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Learn more at Pray More Novenas

Teach Us To Pray

Gratitude Prayer

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

Novena of Gratitude – Day 2

Lord God, we do not always remember to thank You as we ought for all You have done for us and given us. We praise You for Your goodness and offer our prayers of thanksgiving to You today for all You have done for us and given us.

You wish for all people to know You and to live in Your friendship. Many people do not have a relationship with You. But You have chosen to bless us with the gift of Faith, so that we might be members of Your Church and grow closer to You.

We thank You for all of Your blessings, and we particularly thank You today for giving us the Faith!

Help us to grow in all virtues necessary for holiness. Help us to do all we can to serve You faithfully each day.

And I especially pray in this novena (mention your intentions here).

Lord, hear our prayers!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Learn more at Pray More Novenas

Teach Us To Pray

Gratitude Prayer

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

Novena of Gratitude – Day 1

Lord God, we do not always remember to thank You as we ought for all You have done for us and given us. We praise You for Your goodness and offer our prayers of thanksgiving to You today for all You have done for us and given us.

You did not have to create man or any of creation. Out of Your goodness, You chose to create the world and to make man in Your own image. You have given each of us life in order that we might know, love, and serve You.

We thank You for all of Your blessings, and we particularly thank You today for giving us life!

Help us to grow in gratitude each day, in every circumstance. Help us to grow closer to You each day of our lives.

And I especially pray in this novena (mention your intentions here).

Lord, hear our prayers!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen.

Learn more at Pray More Novenas

Teach Us To Pray

Virtue of Gratitude

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

Gratitude is a virtue we need to always strive to cultivate in our lives. We are called to always be grateful to God for all that He has given us, even when we don’t understand what He is doing in our lives.

Our entire lives and all that we have are from God. He is the source of all gifts, of grace, of our happiness, and of our salvation. There is a lot to be grateful for.

Are you making a special effort to thank God daily? We can offer our gratitude when He has given us what we have prayed for, when He has answered our prayers in unexpected ways, or when He has given us what we needed before we even asked.

Over the next nine days, we will pray the Novena of Gratitude, giving thanks to God for all the blessings we see from Him and for those we do not see.

Lord, help us grow hearts of gratitude.  Heal us from our lack of gratefulness, especially in light of Your faithfulness. Amen

Teach Us To Pray

Prayer of Gratitude

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

Heavenly Father,

We come before You with hearts full of gratitude. In a world filled with chaos and uncertainty, we thank You for Your constant presence and unwavering love. Your Word reminds us to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Your will for us in Christ Jesus.

Lord, we acknowledge that true gratitude comes through the victory of Jesus on the cross. We cannot be grateful in everything by our own strength, but through Your Spirit, we can develop hearts inclined toward thankfulness. Help us to consistently express appreciation for both the big and small blessings in our lives.

As we face fears and stressors, remind us that our gratitude stems from Jesus’ triumph over sin and death. May we always see Your goodness, count our blessings, and endure tough times with a thankful heart. Let our lives overflow with thankfulness, focusing on Your goodness regardless of our circumstances.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

Amen

Teach Us To Pray

Attitude of Gratitude

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

The phrase “attitude of gratitude” has gained popularity across social media, workplaces, and communities, serving as a reminder to foster gratitude amidst a chaotic world. For Christians, this concept aligns with biblical teachings. Scripture, such as 1 Thessalonians 5:18, encourages giving thanks in all circumstances as God’s will for us.

Unlike the world’s arbitrary use of the phrase, the Bible acknowledges both suffering and joy, emphasizing that true gratitude comes through Christ’s victory on the cross. We can’t be grateful in everything by our own strength, but through the Spirit, we can develop a heart inclined toward gratitude.

Having an attitude of gratitude means consistently expressing appreciation for both big and small things. This idea, though not new, has gained traction due to rising fears and stressors. Christians can embrace this concept, but it’s crucial to remember that our gratitude stems from Jesus’ victory over sin and death. This helps us see God’s goodness, count our blessings, and endure tough times.

Lord, you call us to have a grateful heart and foster a grateful attitude. Help us recognize the power of thankfulness for everything we have and experience. Remind us to overflow with thankfulness because of Jesus, focusing on His goodness regardless of our circumstances. Amen

Teach Us To Pray

To Be Near

Smitten With Goodness
Season of thanksgiving in prayer

God finds, amid the crowd, a few people who follow Him, just to be near Him, just to dwell in His presence. A longing in the Eternal Heart may be satisfied by these few people. I will let God know that I seek just to dwell in His presence, to be near Him, not so much for teaching or a message, as just for Him. It may be that the longing of the human heart to be loved for itself is something caught from the Great Divine Heart.

Lord, I pray that I may have a listening ear, so that God may speak to me. I pray that I may have a waiting heart, so that God may come to me. Amen