Catholic Prayers
"Prayer is as necessary as the air, as the blood in our bodies, as anything to keep us alive — to keep us alive to the grace of God." - St. Teresa of Calcutta
Prayer Requests
Are you or a friend in need of a prayer? Or, are there prayers you would like us to feature on SF Spirit? Let us know by filling out the form down below!
Eucharistic Adoration by Pope John Paul II
I encourage Christians regularly to visit Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament, for we are all called to abide in the presence of God. In contemplation, Christians will perceive ever more profoundly the mystery at the heart of Christian life.
Teach young people the value of Eucharistic Adoration.
I urge priests, religious and lay people to continue and redouble their efforts to teach the younger generations the meaning and value of Eucharistic adoration and devotion. How will young people be able to know the Lord if they are not introduced to the mystery of His presence? Like the young Samuel, by learning the words of the prayer of the heart, they will be closer to the Lord, who will accompany them in their spiritual and human growth. The Eucharistic mystery is in fact the "summit of evangelization" (Lumen Gentium) for it is the most eminent testimony to Christ's resurrection.
Chaplet of Divine Mercy
"I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls" (1074).
- Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska
Speaking in Tongues in Scripture
Praying in tongues is a common gift of prayer by which we can surrender our voice and thoughts to God. It has often been called 'spirit-language' that helps us focus completely on God and allow the inner self, the true heart of a person to more readily give voice to adoring, praising and worshiping God.
There are two kinds:
1. One type is mentioned in 4 verses of Acts Chapter 2: verse 4,6,8,11: "They begun to speak other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak;" "the crowd was exited because each heard them speaking in his own native language", and the disciples were all Galilean!
Most people would say that the great miracle of Pentecost has never happened again in the Church, or has it? The language of "joy" is understood by anybody. If you love someone, he or she will understand you, no matter what language is spoken, even if it is German or Russian or Chinese or Japanese. The languages of "joy", and "love", and "peace", are understood by everyone, and they are probably the greatest miracles of of all times.
2. The other kind of speaking in tongues is one of the 9 gifts of the Spirit mentioned three times in 1Cor.12:10,28,30, and explained again in 1Cor.14:1-33, where the gift to "speak in tongues" or "praying in tongues" is mentioned 12 times. It is the only one of the 9 gifts of the Spirit given "to strengthen us personally, as an individual", and we all need to strengthen ourselves at all times! (1Cor.14:4)
All the other 8 charismatic gifts are for service, to strengthen the Church (1Cor.12:7).
St. Paul talks about the Charismatic gifts in the First Letter to the Corinthians Chapters 12 and 14, but in between them, in Chapter 13, he proclaims "love" as the greatest gift, a language that anybody can understand, and without it, all the other gifts are worthless.