Prayer doesn't necessarily require a lot of time, complete silence, or an empty church. Sometimes a single sentence is enough. A few words spoken slowly—in the middle of work, while walking, as we get into the car, or just before replying to a message. A short prayer to remind us that God is there.
Ejaculatory prayers are short, simple prayers that we can repeat throughout the day to lift our hearts to God. The word comes from Latin iaculatorius, whose meaning was related to the act of throwing a dart, an arrow, or any object with force over a distance. Thus, ejaculations are short exclamations or prayers that a Christian’s love and trust send—like little arrows or darts—to the Lord, the Blessed Virgin, or the saints.
In his letters, Saint Paul exhorted us to “pray without ceasing.” And short prayers can be a means to that end. This is explained in *The Russian Pilgrim* (Monte Carmelo, 2009), a classic of Eastern Christian spirituality, which recounts the spiritual journey of a pilgrim who attains this union with God through the brief phrase “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.” He makes this prayer his own throughout the day and even learns to recite it in rhythm with his breathing. In this way, he managed to keep the name of Jesus—and also His mercy—on his lips, in his thoughts, and in his heart at all times.
St. Josemaría, faithful to his short prayers
In an interview about the founder of Opus Dei, Blessed Álvaro del Portillo quoted several short prayers that St. Josemaría used to recite, one of which was: “I am yours; I was born for you. What do you want from me, Jesus?”.
In this interview, the Blessed one recounted: “When I asked to be admitted to the Work, our Founder explained the spirit of Opus Dei to me, and advised me to say many ejaculatory prayers, make spiritual communions… and offer numerous small acts of mortification throughout the day. When he spoke to me about ejaculatory prayers, he explained: There are spiritual authors who recommend counting the ones you say throughout the day, and they suggest using beans, chickpeas, or something similar; putting them in one pocket and transferring them to the other each time your heart turns to God with one of those prayers. That way you can know exactly how many you’ve said and see whether or not you’ve made progress that day.» And he added: “I don’t recommend this to you, because there’s also the danger of vanity or pride. “It’s better to let your Guardian Angel keep track of them.”.
The founder of Opus Dei drew his short prayers from Scripture or Christian tradition. Thus, in point 92 of *The Way*, he recommended: “…when you don’t know how to move forward, when you feel yourself fading, if you cannot throw fragrant logs into the fire, throw in the twigs and leaf litter of little vocal prayers, of ejaculations, which continue to feed the blaze.”.
To start the day
- «Lord, I place this day in your hands.».
- «Jesus, everything for You and because of You.».
- «Lord, may your will be done today.».
- «Oh, Mother, be with me today.».
- «Come, Holy Spirit.».
- «O my Lady, O my Mother! I offer myself entirely to you on this day.».
- «Lord, I entrust my mind, my words, and my hands to you for this day.».
- «Lord, I offer this day to you; may everything I do be for your love.».
- «Dear Father, I place my day, my joys, and my sorrows in your hands.».
- «Good morning, Lord! Stay with me today and guide my steps.».
To ask for help
- «Jesus, help me.».
- «Lord, give me light.».
- «My God, give me strength.».
- «Jesus, I trust in You.».
- «Lord, increase my faith.».
- «Come, Holy Spirit, enlighten me.».
When We're Worried
- «Jesus, I trust in You.».
- «Lord, may your will be done.».
- «Into your hands, Lord, I entrust my concern.».
- «My God, You know what I need.».
- «My God, in you I find rest.».
- «My Lord and my God.».
- «Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.».
To Overcome Impatience or Anger
- «Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like yours.».
- «Lord, grant me patience and charity.».
- «Jesus, help me to love.».
- «Lord, put peace in my heart.».
- «Mary, help me to respond with love.».
To Give Thanks
- «Thank you, Lord, for everything.».
- «Blessed be You, my God.».
- «Thank you, Jesus.».
- «I thank you, Lord, for this day.».
- «Everything is grace. Thank you, Lord.».
To offer the job
- «Lord, I offer this work to You for Your greater glory and the good of my loved ones.».
- «Lord, bless the work of my hands today.».
- «Everything for Jesus, everything for Mary, everything in imitation of Saint Joseph.».
- «Lord, I offer this work to you.».
- «Jesus, may I do everything out of love for You.».
- «All for You, Jesus.».
- «Lord, may my work bring you glory.».
- «Jesus, work in me.».
Before starting a difficult task
- «Lord, grant me patience and wisdom for this moment.».
- «Holy Spirit, guide my hands and my mind.».
- «Lord, may this work serve as atonement for my sins.».
- «Dear Father, make my efforts today fruitful.».
To order for other people
- «Lord, bless this person.».
- «Jesus, take care of him.».
- «Mary, take him to Jesus.».
- «Lord, have mercy on us.».
- «Jesus, help her and be with her.».
When we feel like we're drifting away from God
- «Lord, do not let me stray from You.».
- «Jesus, draw me close to your Heart.».
- «Oh my God, here I am.».
- «Lord, return to my heart.».
- «Jesus, I want to be with you.».
To end the day
- «Thank you, Lord, for this day.».
- «Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.».
- «Forgive me, Lord, and help me start over.».
- «Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and soul.».
- «Lord, stay with me.».
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