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(Make this your own personal prayer)
Father, I thank you for Your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross not only for my sins, but also for my hurts and for my fear. I thank You that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and that He wants me to be completely whole: mind, body, soul, and spirit. Lord Jesus, I ask you to walk back through every second of my life, to heal me and to make me whole. Go back into the third and fourth generation and break all harmful genetic ties.
Jesus, You knew all about me even before I was born. Thank You for being there as life began. If fear or any other negative force was transmitted to me as I was in my mother's womb, set me free from those things. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being there when I was born, and for loving me. (Some came into the world not being loved and not being wanted, and they felt such rejection. Lord Jesus, from the very beginning fill each one with Your precious love.)
Lord, walk back through every second of my life during those early years. (Some were separated from parents because of sickness or death, some were born into families where they did not receive the love that was needed.) Lord Jesus, please go back and fill every void; give the love that was not received. Remove every hurt, every feeling of rejection. Take away all fears: fear of darkness, fear of falling, fear of animals; fear of being lost, fear of intimacy. I thank You, Jesus, for setting me free and for healing me.
I pray Lord that You will take my hand, go back in time and walk to school with me. At times I felt so shy, so afraid to leave home and go into new situations. Jesus, there were times I felt embarassment or failure at school, will You take away those memories? When I was treated harshly by a teacher, or I was hurt by classmates, please heal those hurts. Some fears entered during those first school years, fear of speaking in public or fear of failure. Thank You for healing those hurts and for setting me free from those fears. I thank You and I praise You, Lord.
Lord Jesus, I thank You for my mother. (For those who did not have the love of a mother, please fill that void, that empty place, and give the love that was needed.) I ask You to stand between my mother and me and let Your divine love flow between us. I ask forgiveness from my mother and for any way I have hurt or failed her and I forgive her for any way she hurt or failed me.
Lord Jesus, I thank You for my dad. (For those who did not feel the love of an earthly dad, please give them all the love they needed but did not receive.) Stand between my dad and me. I pray that Your divine love will mend any broken relationship. I ask forgiveness from my dad for any way I hurt or failed him, and I forgive him for any way he hurt or failed me.
I lift up my brothers and sisters to You. Where there were feelings of competition, jealousy or resentment, I ask that Your healing power and love mend every broken relationship. I forgive each brother and sister for hurting or failing me and I ask their forgiveness for the ways I hurt them.
Thank You, Lord, for being there in my teen-age years and when I was in Junior High School and Senior High School. There were new emotions and new fears. As each painful memory is brought to my mind, I pray that You will take a spiritual eraser and just wipe the pain from my mind and heal me. During those times that I tried things that were dangerous, I thank You for being there with Your protective hand. Take away any feeling of humiliation, embarassment, guilt, fear of failure. (Some were teased because of race, religion, appearance, size, or poverty and were wounded deeply.) Let me know that You loved me and that You were there in every situation. (For those young people who experimented with drugs, that left their minds confused, Lord Jesus, we pray You will repair the damage. Let them think clearly again; let them receive Your healing. Let each one know You love them and that You can redeem the past.)
As each of us started to leave home, there were new fears, frustrations or hurts. (Some wanted to go on to college and were not able to; others were not able to enter the profession they dreamed of and they felt such disappointment.) Jesus, heal every disappointment and every hurt.
Thank You for being there as we entered marriage. (For some it was such a beautiful new beginning. For others it was a nightmare.) Jesus please take away every hurt. I am saying to my mate, I forgive you for hurting me and I ask your forgiveness for hurting you. Lord Jesus, through Your divine love, I thank you for mending every broken relationship, and wiping away every painful memory. (Where there has been the heartbreak of divorce and there are feelings of guilt, rejection, bitterness and loneliness, take away all those negative feelings. Heal the deep wounds and erase the painful memories. Jesus, fill each mate with forgiveness, Your divine love and healing power.)
Thank You, Lord, for my children. Take away any feeling I have of failure or guilt as a parent. When I punished unwisely or was too possessive with my love, when words were spoken in criticism or anger, I pray you will heal any hurt that was caused. I ask their forgiveness and I forgive them for hurting me,
Lord, I thank You for being there during those terrifying times of accidents, those times of sickness or surgery. I ask You now to take away the horror, the fear and the memory of the pain. Set me free from the trauma I felt. Thank You for being there during times of sorrow. I thank You for lifting the burdens. I thank You for taking away my sorrow, my grief and my mourning. I thank You for giving me Your joy and Your peace.
Now Lord, Jesus, thank You for walking back through every second of my life up to this exact moment. Thank You for healing me of all my hurts, my fears, my painful memories, and my guilt; for setting me free. Thank You for filling me with Your love. Help me to love myself. Help me to love others. But most of all, Jesus, help me to love You as I should. I thank You for giving me peace. Thank You, Jesus. I thank You for going way down into the darkest recesses of my mind and cleansing me. I thank You for healing my mind, my emotions. and my memories. I thank You, Jesus, for making me whole, and I give You all the praise and all the glory. Amen.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France receives pilgrims from many parts of the world that come to pray at the Grotto where 14- year old Bernadette Soubirous reportedly had 18 visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858. During one of those visions, the Virgin Mary identified herself as "I am the Immaculate Conception." The springs of water that flow at the Grotto are recognized as having healing properties. Pilgrims drink the water, wash in the water, and bathe in the water. Every time we pray for healing, the Lord heals and sometimes He cures. Sixty-seven cases have been officially declared as cures. Bernadette was canonized a saint, December 8, 1933. Today, Lourdes has a population of 15,000, and the city is able to provide hospitality to nearly five million pilgrims in their 270 hotels, annually. Send your petitions for prayer for healing at the Lourdes Shrine by clicking on this website:
http://www.lourdes-france.org/index.php?contexte=en&id=499
Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount-Royal in Montreal, Quebec, is recognized internationally as a shrine that is associated with the life and ministry of Blessed Andre Bessette. Brother Andre, a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, was known as a healer and the "Miracle Man of Montreal" where he founded the Oratory of Saint Joseph to whom he was dedicated and fostred devotion. Pope Benedict XVI will be declaring him Blessed at ceremonies, October 17, 2010, as the last step before canonization. You may send your requests for prayer to St. Joseph's Oratory by clicking on the link given here: http://www.saint-joseph.org/en_1085_index.php
Finding Healing after an Abortion (written by Father Hugo L. Blotsky, O.S.B., "Priests for Life," 1996)
Joe, not his real name, is 41 years old, Catholic, and the father of four children. After 20 years of marriage, Joe was divorced from his wife, Sandy, which is not her real name. Their first child, John Peter, was aborted to save a new marriage. Joe has much guilt and shame over the loss of this first child. He wrote a letter of apology to his son asking for forgiveness. This letter is a part of his healing process.
When individuals come to me for help to deal with the death of a child through a stillbirth, miscarriage , or an abortion, I take them through a brief healing service. Having the parent(s) name the child and then write a letter to their deceased child often brings about healing on a deep level. I suggested to Joe that he write a letter to their aborted son, John Peter.
Joe asked me to share this letter with others with the hope that other parents can be spared the pain and suffering he has endured these past many years. Joe wants others to know that there is healing available for parents following an abortion.
My Dear John Peter,
This past weekend, I did something I should have done a very long time ago. I confessed to your death by abortion. John you would today be a young man of twenty, vibrant and alive. By allowing your abortion, I sinned against you and against God. Forgive me, John, for I did it for all the wrong reasons.
The main reason, John was that I was afraid, afraid that the stress you would have added to your Mother's life might ruin our new marriage. Yet, John, I know now how much you would have added to and enriched my life and very likely the life of your Mother. John, I tried to justify your death to convince myself that you were only a package of tissue cells, no more perhaps than an egg is a full grown chicken. I tried to convince myself that what had happened was right, that in destorying this tissue, I had saved my marriage. After all, I thought, we can always have more children later. John, from that night onward I always had a "knot" in my stomach. Try as I might, I could not get you out of my mind completely. Perhaps that is the worst kind of sin, my son, the kind that bothers a person so deeply. Sometimes, when you come to mind, I would figure out how old you'd have been, what you might be doing at that age. James, your brother, reminded me sometimes of you as did the girls.
John, you had so much potential. Did you know, John, you could have been anything? Tears come again, John, as they did Saturday night. I am swept by pain, John, and tears do little to wash the pain away. And yet, Little One, it is I who am saved by you and the mercy of God through the intercession of Jesus. You see, Little One, it is because of you that I finally sought reconciliation, not the usual kind, the kind where I'd go to confession, do my penance, and leave without any sort of contrition. Little One, it is your death and my guilt which finally led to my confession of this sin. Yes, I had confessed before, but I had done so to "play the odds," to "be on the safe side" just in case what I learned was true. On Saturday, as I confessed I was crying: I felt a sense of remorse and guilt so deeply that I almost wish I could have died.
John, if my dying now would give the world to you I would offer my life. As you know, John, your Mother and I are now divorced. Your Mother may not ever have confessed to this sin. John Peter, if you would do me a favor, I would ask that you through Jesus work the same miracle on Sandy that you have worked on me. Your Mom was young too, John. To her at the time you represented this awesome threat to her chosen career. Please forgive her as well, John Peter. Please, my Little One, intercede for both of us through Jesus.
I find it searingly ironic, Little One, that it is I who ask such favors of one whom I killed or rather, allowed to be killed. And yet I ask, Little One, for I have grown to love you in a way that is at once both deep and pure. In the fall, John, when the leaves fall from the trees I shall think of you, for you too fell from life. In the cold of winter, John, the snow shall remind me of you: for like the snow you were and are white and pure. In the spring, John, I shall think of you: for the birth of spring shall remind me that you, too, should have been born into this world. John, I shall think of you in the summer.
I shall imagine your laughter. I shall see you as you might have been, a little boy running and playing, scraping your knees from a fall. I shall miss, John, all that i might have gained from your life.
My Little One, John Peter, I can only now ask you to forgive me as Jesus and God have done.
May you rest in the arms of God,
Dad
Healing the Hurt from the Suicide of a Loved One
Surviving the loss of a loved one through suicide is a traumatic journey but the pain doesn’t last forever. Once the survivors begin to take care of themselves, to reaffirm their own goodness, they find their way back to hope. Their faith in God can be a source of strength to go on living, and their friends can be a source of comfort to go on loving. They do not forget their sorrow or their loved one, but slowly new experiences and more happy memories emerge to heal the hurt.
My dear (insert name of suicide victim)
As you read this letter, we would like you to know that we miss you and that so much has changed because of you. We always thought this sort of thing happened to other people, not us. Maybe in your heart you thought you were doing us a favor by taking your own life.
What hurts most is that you never really said good-bye or gave us a chance to say good-bye to you. Our eyes have been filled with tears as we’ve tried to change what has been, tried to understand your despair, your mystery.
At times, we have been angry with you for what you did to yourself, for what you did to us. At times, we’ve felt responsible for your death. We’ve searched for what we did or failed to do—for the clues we missed. Yet we also know that, no matter what, we couldn’t choose for you. We are learning to stop feeling responsible for your death. If we were responsible for you, you’d still be alive!
We all think of you so often, even when it hurts to remember. We are really lonely for your presence and whenever we hear your songs, or see a picture of you, we still cry for you. We feel sad that you’re not here to share so many events with us. You are especially missed at gatherings of relatives and friends. At times, we wish that this were a bad dream only and that upon waking from sleep we would find you among the living. But that will never be. We are accepting your death as part of reality. That’s when our mornings have no beginnings and our nights seem as long as winter.
Slowly, though, it’s getting less hard. We try to remember the good times. You have left behind many happy memories that we can share with each other. For those happy memories, thank you. Maybe you have seen us smile a little more. Yes, we are learning to live again, realizing that we cannot die because you chose to die.
We are praying that you are at peace now. You looked for peace in this life and at times it seemed that you found peace. We didn’t realize how deeply you felt an emptiness in your life and that you couldn’t find peace to fill that void. Forgive us for any way we may not have responded to you when you reached out to us.
We don’t blame God for what you did to yourself. We know that God loved you then and still does. We see you as God’s gift of love to us that we now are giving back to God. We ask God to take you into His arms and to shower you with His love and mercy.
We now say good-bye to you. God be with you. Go with God. At the end of our days, we look forward to spending eternity with you in heaven.
Peace,
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