Prayer for Conversion

(The suggested special prayer intention is indicated after the prayer theme. – JBT)

PRAYER FOR CONVERSION

(The suggested special prayer intention is indicated after the prayer theme. – JBT)

Introductory Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you directed your Holy Apostles to go and make disciples of all nations. “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Inspired by your powerful yet loving words, we pray that You give us wisdom and strength to carry out Your command. We long to see you loved, and the glory and praise of Your Name proclaimed throughout the world. We pray for the conversion of souls in all nations, especially those who do not yet know You. Almighty Father, grant our petitions, for the sake of the love that you bear for Your only-begotten Son, and by the bitter passion that He endured for the salvation of souls, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Day One – Peace/Korea

Jesus, you said, “Peace be with you. As God has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21) Inspired by your powerful words, we pray that you give us peace of mind, body and spirit – a peace that the world cannot give. We live in a world beset by conflict and strife and we long for peace with You and with others. We realize that we need to foster true humility within ourselves, and a self-sacrificing love that will value the well-being of others as our own, in order to attain lasting peace.

Eternal Father, cast a merciful glance upon our troubled world burdened by conflicts because of lack of humility and love for others. Send forth your Spirit to fill our hearts with understanding and compassion that seek to serve others more than ourselves. We ask this through the meekness and humility shown by your Son during his trial when Pontius Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” and He replied, “So you say, I am.” (Matthew 27:11) We also ask this by the sacrifice and love shown by His sorrowful and immaculate Mother Mary and foster-father Joseph when they brought the child Jesus in haste to Egypt to save Him from the hands of his enemies. Amen.

Final Prayer

Jesus, you taught Saint Faustina that: “The prayer most pleasing to (You) is the prayer for conversion of souls and that this prayer is always heard and answered.” Inspired by Your call, and with full confidence in the strength of your agonizing Passion and Death on the Cross, and the merits of the sacrifices borne by Your Sorrowful and Immaculate Mother, we pray for the conversion of nations. We also pray for our particular intention/s (here mention your intention).

(1) Our Father, (1) Hail Mary, (1) Glory be.

Day Two – Love/Japan

(Recite the Introductory Prayer)

Jesus, you said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) Indeed, God the Father loves us as he loves Christ, seeing his image in us... This image is painted within us over and over by the Holy Spirit. (Pope John Paul II, Rome, 1999) We pray that we may see the same image of God in others and learn how to love and show concern for others as the Holy Trinity – God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – has wonderfully manifested and continues to show Its supreme love for us.

Almighty Father, cast a merciful glance upon our grieving world saddened by the lack of love and value for others, especially little children, above all in those nations that have not yet come to know of the love and human dignity that You bestowed upon us – through the incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, made man through the intercession of Blessed Mary, ever Virgin – and through His Most Holy Passion and Death on the Cross.

Inspired by the Holy Sacrifice of Your Divine Son on the Cross, by His Words as He manifested His love for little children and commanded us to do the same, saying: “Suffer not the little children to come unto Me, for theirs is the Kingdom of God,” (Matthew 19:13-14) by His divine wisdom and understanding manifested when while still a child of twelve years of age, he lectured and discussed with the elders for three days in Your temple, and by the paternal love shown by his Holy Mother, Mary, and by his foster-father, St. Joseph, in searching for Him whom they thought was lost, we pray for the conversion of nations that they may follow His example, and that of the Holy Family, in showing love and concern for others and respect for human dignity, especially for little children.

We pray this through the merits of the pains and torments endured by Your Divine Son in His most cruel scourging at the pillar and the piercing of His Side and Most Sacred Heart by a lance while He was hanging lifeless on the Cross, through which He shed the last drops of His Precious Blood (John 19:31-37), by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, by the merits of the sword of sorrow that pierced her Immaculate Heart at the Passion and Death of her Son. Amen.

(Recite the Final Prayer)

Day Three – Greatness/Africa

(Recite the Introductory Prayer)

Lord Jesus, you exhorted us to greatness through your holy apostle Peter who said: “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18) It is you who stirs in us the desire to do something great with our lives, to have the courage to follow an ideal... to commit ourselves humbly and patiently to improving ourselves and society, making the world more human and fraternal. (Pope John Paul II, Rome, 2000) Inspired by your call, we pray for the grace to rise above ourselves, our sins and weaknesses, to true greatness in Your sight. We also pray for this grace for our brothers and sisters, especially in developing countries. May they find in You true meaning, even as they struggle through their daily lives amidst issues of poverty.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful eyes towards us and our brothers and sisters in other developing countries. Forgive us our sins and give us the grace to rise above ourselves, our pettiness and selfishness, in order that we may be able to respond to your call to conversion, and greatness in our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray this through the merits of Your Divine Son and the greatness that he exemplified, when rising above his agony while hanging on the Cross, He prayed: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing,” (Luke 23:34) and as He continued to thirst for the salvation of souls, crying out: “I thirst!”(John 19:28) Through His resurrection and ascension into heaven, we realize that the things of this world are merely passing, and that the challenges that we face are just meant to prepare us for true greatness: “You can depend on this: if we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him; if we hold out to the end, we shall also reign with Him.” (2 Timothy 2:11-12)

We also pray this through the merits of our Blessed Mother as she responded to Your call to greatness to become the Mother of the Saviour, and replied to Saint Gabriel, the Archangel: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to Your Word.” (Luke 1:38) We also pray for generous souls to help our brothers and sisters in developing countries – to give them courage and hope, to inspire them, amidst their many challenges. All these we ask by the power of the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of our Sorrowful and Immaculate Mother. Amen.

(Recite the Final Prayer)

Day Four – Unity/Arab Nations

(Recite the Introductory Prayer)

Lord Jesus, You said: “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in Me and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without Me.” (John 15:5) “Bear witness to Christ in today’s society. Become builders of the civilization of love and truth... This is the first step toward a new unity, a unity that transcends the political order yet enlightens it.” (Pope John Paul II, Denver, 1993) Inspired by your call to unity, we pray that we may be able overcome our biases and prejudices, and stop ourselves from burdening each other with heavy crosses, that we make through many forms discrimination – religious, racial, economic, and sexual, among others.

As You took on the yoke of the poor, may we always see You in others, and avoid making their crosses heavier, through our cruelty and oppression of others. Infuse us, instead, with Your spirit of compassion, that we may be always strive to look for ways and means of lessening the burdens of others. We also pray for our brothers and sisters in many nations, that they may come to learn of Your gospel of Truth – that God became Man, and that He died for us, to show us that the way to everlasting happiness with the Father is through a self-sacrificing love that transcends all personal, political and social boundaries. “For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, many as they are, form one body, so also it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:12)

Eternal Father, cast your merciful look upon us, and especially upon our brothers and sisters in nations where many forms of discrimination still abound, which burden people from attaining their fullest potential as Your children, heirs to Your glorious kingdom in heaven. We ask this through the merits of the heavy cross that your Divine Son patiently carried for us, in order to make our own burdens light: “So they took charge of Jesus. He went out carrying his cross, and came to the place of the skull. There they crucified him.” (John 19:17-18) We pray that we may always see Christ carrying His heavy cross in our brothers and sisters, suffering and burdened under biases and discrimination, and strive to help them lighten their loads.

We also ask this through the infinite merits of the death Your Divine Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, when He announced that His work of salvation is complete: “Then Jesus drank the wine and said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave over his spirit.” (John 19:30) We also ask this through the merits of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Blessed Mother. We pray that we may all come to see her sorrowful image in women all over the world, who are still suffering under the burden of heavy crosses, brought about by biases and discrimination against women. All these we ask through the power of Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

“Cast your burdens upon me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30)

Day Five – Holiness/Priests and Religious

Lord God, You said: “For I, the LORD, am your God; and you shall make and keep yourselves holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44) “If you really wish to serve your brothers and sisters, let Christ reign in your hearts. Let Him strengthen you in virtue and fill you above all with His charity. Let him guide you along the path that leads to holiness. (Pope John Paul II, Compostela, 1989)

Inspired by call, we pray for Your mercy in order that we may be able to grow in holiness in Your sight – in order that we may be able to serve you more and more faithfully each day, and that we may inspire and lead others to You by the example of our own holiness. We pray for the strength to overcome our personal weaknesses, and the enemies of our salvation – the flesh, the world and evil spirits. We also pray for forgiveness for our sins, and the grace to lead a life of prayer, to strengthen our faith, and help us discern Your will in our lives, as well as in others, that we may always strive to act according to Your will, and lead others to true conversion. We pray for these gifts especially for our priests and religious – Your chosen ones – that they may bear much fruit. “It was not you who chose Me, it was I who chose you to go forth and bear fruit. Your fruit must endure so that all you ask the Father in my name He will give you.” We pray for obedience to Your will. We long to be counted among Your faithful ones: “Gather my faithful ones before me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.” (Psalms 50:5)

We pray this through the merits of the death of Your Divine Son on the Cross. Obedient unto death, He humbly gave over His Spirit to the Father: “Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit.” Lord Jesus, You taught us: “Greater love than this no one has, that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Impart to us Your Grace that we may hunger and thirst for holiness, and follow your example. We also pray these through the merits of the sorrows endured by our Immaculate Mother over the Passion and Death of her Divine Son. These we ask through the power of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

“Blest are they who hunger and thirst for holiness, they shall have their fill.” (Matthew 5:6)

(Recite the Final Prayer)

Day Six – Faith/Holy Souls in Purgatory

(Recite the Introductory Prayer)

Lord Jesus, You said: “I am telling you the truth: he who believes in Me has eternal life. I am the Bread of Life.” (John 6:47-48) “My faith, like the faith of each one of you, is not just my doing, my attachment to the truth of Christ and the Church. It is essentially and primarily the work of the Holy Spirit, a gift of His grace. The Lord gives us His Spirit to help us say ‘I believe,’ and then He sends us out to bear witness to the truth.” (Pope John Paul II, Rome, 2000) Inspired by Your teaching, we pray for the grace of a steadfast faith – that we may be enlightened about the truths of our religion, live You in our hearts all the days of our lives, and that by persevering in faith, we may be found worthy of eternal life. “As for you beloved, build up yourselves upon your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” (Jude 2:20) We also pray for our departed brothers and sisters – the holy souls in purgatory –that You reward them according to the hope and trust that they have placed in You. May they soon meet You, our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with Father and the Holy Spirit, face to face, and enjoy eternal happiness with the Blessed Virgin, and all the holy angels and saints, in heaven.

Eternal Father, in Your great mercy, grant forgiveness to the poor holy souls in purgatory. Grant them the grace of full repentance, that they may be purified soon of their sins, and become worthy of heaven. We ask this through the eternal merits of the Death and Burial of Your Divine Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: “Joseph bought a linen sheet, took the body down, wrapped it in the sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb.” (Mark 15:46), and through the sorrow endured by our Immaculate Mother, Mary, at witnessing the Passion of her Divine Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and while standing beneath the Cross, our Lord Jesus Christ left her to the care of St. John, saying: “He is your son... She is your mother.” (John 19:26-27) These we ask through the power of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

“I am the Resurrection and the Life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; and those who live and believe in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

(Recite the Final Prayer)

Day Seven – Compassion/India

(Recite the Introductory Prayer)

“Charity is patient, is kind; charity does not envy, is not pretentious, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, is not self-seeking, is not provoked; thinks no evil, does not rejoice over wickedness, but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:8-9) “Concern for those most in need springs from a decision to love the poor in a special manner... In loving the poor, we imitate the attitude of the Lord, who during his earthly life devoted himself with special compassion to all those in spiritual and material need.” (Pope John Paul II, Rome 1999) Inspired by Your call, we pray for the grace to be compassionate to our suffering brothers and sisters, especially to those in nations most in need, and who cry out for our help. Lord Jesus, You said: “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” You, Yourself, chose to be born in poverty – in a manger, because there was no more room for You in Bethlehem – so that we may become rich, rich in spirit, and in virtue, in showing our compassion for others, in order that we too may become worthy of Your Kingdom in heaven. Help us to see You always in others, and grant us grace to be of help to them. May we learn to reciprocate the love that You have shown us through Your Divine Son, through our service to our brothers and sisters, especially to those who are in need.

Loving Father, cast a merciful look upon us, and grant us your grace, that we may serve you more and more faithfully, through service to our brothers and sisters in need, especially those in other developing countries. We pray this through the merits of the modest life led by Your Divine Son, manifested by His birth in a manger - a stable for farm animals – and his burial in a borrowed tomb. You always loved the poor, as You showed through Your Divine Son. Help us too become instruments in showing your infinite love and concern for others, so that they too may glorify Your mercy. We also pray this through the merits of the life of service to others led by our Blessed Mother, shown as she went in haste to her older cousin St. Elizabeth to assist her in her hour of need, although our Immaculate Mother was herself with Child, and was to be the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, and as out of concern for the newlyweds who had ran out of wine, she prayed her Divine Son to make to turn water into wine, which became His first public manifestation of His Divinity. These we ask through the power of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

(Recite the Final Prayer)

Day Eight – Prayer/United Kingdom

(Recite the Introductory Prayer)

“Pray without ceasing and give thanks to God in all circumstances.” (1 Thessalosians 5:17-18) “Dear brothers and sisters, our Christian communities must become genuine ‘schools’ of prayer, where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just in imploring help but also in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion.” (Pope John Paul II, Rome, 2001) Lord Jesus, when the disciples asked You to teach them how to pray, You taught them, and us, to call God: “Our Father.” Inspired by Your loving words, we ask for the grace to pray always in all circumstances in our lives – in our moments of sadness or indecision, as well as in our moments of rejoicing and jubilation. We know that as a loving Father, our Father in heaven, through the Holy Spirit, is always present with us, desiring to show us the way to communion with the Holy Trinity, even in this life.

Eternal Father, we know that You are genuinely concerned for our well-being – You want to show Your compassion when we are troubled, You want to rejoice with us in times of joy. Inspire us to love you more and more, as we feel Your Real Presence in our lives. Thank you for the countless times that You have never left us without Your assistance, especially in our times of trials and difficulties. Forgive us for the times when we lacked trust in Your Divine Providence. Thank you for the gift of Your Divine Son and the Holy Spirit. We also pray for our brothers and sisters especially in highly developed countries, that they may not forget to call on You, especially in times of material prosperity, for we believe that there is nothing on earth than can match Your goodness, and there is no greater good than to inherit Your Kingdom in Heaven for eternity. We ask this through the merits of the life of Your Divine Son spent to teach us about the glory that You have prepared in heaven for all of us, Your children, and through the merits of the humble life spent by our Immaculate Mother, in obedience to Your Will. These we ask by the power of the Holy Spirit, one God world without end. Amen.

(Recite the Final Prayer)

Day Nine – Purity of Heart/Indonesia

(Recite the Introductory Prayer)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) “Jesus teaches us to see the Father’s hand in the beauty of the lilies of the field, the birds of the air, the starry night, fields ripe for the harvest, the faces of the children and the needs of the poor and humble. If you look at the world with a pure heart, you too will see the face of God.” (Pope John Paul II, Denver, 1993) Lord Jesus, we long to see Your face, for it is only then that our restless search for Your goodness and beauty will come to an end. Therefore, teach us how to become pure in heart, in order that we may behold the glory of Your face in heaven. Purify our hearts of the seductive lure of material things of this world that weighs down our spirits, and deadens our souls. Teach us that all the things of this world, including our own physical bodies, are temporary, and meant only to serve our needs as we journey towards You, towards Your eternal kingdom in heaven. Teach us not to become too attached to material things, lest we forget that we are meant for You and for eternity. Through our prayers, show us that You are loving God, who is concerned about both our spiritual and material well-being, and who generously provides for both our spiritual and material needs; that You are King of Heaven, as well as of this earth, and that all that we need, we can ask from You through prayer, because we believe that all things are at Your disposal and command. You taught us: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all of these things shall be added unto you.” Teach us to be concerned, too, with the needs of others, especially our brothers in sisters in other developing countries. Make us channels of Your grace to them, so that together with us, they may also praise Your goodness and beauty for eternity.

Eternal Father, cast a merciful look upon us, and our brothers and sisters in other developing countries. Make us worthy channels of Your grace, that others may also learn to appreciate Your marvellous gift, which is Your Divine Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and grow in the same Faith that You have given us. And after our journey in love and brotherhood on earth, may we all, finally, come to behold Your glorious Face in heaven. We pray these through the merits of the life of preaching and miracles led by our Lord Jesus while on earth, teaching us about Your Kingdom in heaven, and inviting all of us, sinners, to inner conversion. We also pray these through the merits of the life of our Immaculate Mother, Mary – a life spent in whole-hearted service to You. These we ask by the power of the Holy Spirit, God, forevermore. Amen.

(Recite the Final Prayer)

PRAYER FOR THE DEFEAT OF EVIL SPIRITS

Almighty and Eternal God, in union with your Divine Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit, and through the intercession of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, and of all the angels and saints in heaven, we earnestly implore You to manifest Your power in the defeat of all evil and unclean spirits, that roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls, in order that we may be able to live in love and peace as we await Your final coming: “What we await are new heavens and the new earth where, according to His promise, the justice of God will reside. So beloved while waiting for this, make every effort to be found without stain or defilement and at peace in His sight.” (2 Peter 3:13-14) This we ask for the greater honour and glory of the Most Holy Trinity, and the salvation of souls, through the merits of the Most Sorrowful Passion of your Divine Son. Have mercy on us, and on the whole world. Amen.

(1) Our Father, (1) Hail Mary, (1) Glory be.