Prayer For Mentally Ill
Spirit God, you know our needs
our wounds
our hurts
our fears
Even before we can form them
into words of prayers.
You are patient with us.
You are protective of us.
You are present with us
until some time that we are able
to ask for what we need.
Thank you, Spirit God,
for your healing taking place within
before we are even aware
of how broken we have become.
O Holy God,
open unto me
light for my darkness,
courage for my fear,
hope for my despair.
O loving God,
open unto me
wisdom for my confusion,
forgiveness for my sins,
love for my hate.
O God of peace,
open unto me
peace for my turmoil,
joy for my sorrow,
strength for my weakness.
O generous God,
open my heart
to receive all your gifts.
May we discover through pain and torment,
the strength to live with grace and humor.
May we discover through doubt and anguish,
the strength to live with dignity and holiness.
May we discover through suffering and fear,
The strength to move toward healing.
May it come to pass that we be restored to health and to vigor.
May life grant us wellness of body, spirit, and mind.
And if this cannot be so, may we find in this transformation and passage
Moments of meaning, opportunities for love
and the deep and gracious calm that comes
when we allow ourselves to move on.
Loving God, I pray for all whose brains have been hurt by disease, injury, stress, trauma, and other factors of human life in a hard world. I pray for all who love them and want to help. I pray for your comfort in their grief, hope amid loss, and the balm of community with people who understand.
For people with mental illnessmay they find hope in you and feel your longing for them.
For parents of children with mental illnessmay they know the limits of their power both to cause and to cure.
For children of parents with mental illnessmay they know you as loving parent and find places where they can grow up in safety, no matter how old they are.
For friends of suffering peoplemay they resist the temptation to try to fix their friends and recognize the simple power of their loving presence.
For spiritual leadersmay they deny both helplessness and overconfidence, courageously serving as first responders and faithful shepherds.
For people who need treatment and don't receive itmay they recognize their need, believe life can be better, and find people who can help.
For those burdened by shame and stigmamay they walk into the light and find compassionate people.
Lord, I pray for light in the darkness. I pray that people with vulnerable minds will find hope and help among followers of Christ who will love them and point them toward what they need while letting them live with that need. I pray for acceptance and gracethe same kind of grace you offer so freely to all. I pray that many churches will embrace the opportunity for messy and sometimes thankless ministry among the marginalized, in the name of the one whose love knows no margins.
Amen.
Forgiving God,
We confess that we have judged those who struggle with mental illness.
We have judged because we do not understand.
Forgive us for making assumptions. Forgive us for our indifference.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
O Lord, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
Loving God, we pray today for those who are confronted by the sadness,
ambiguity and confusion of mental illness, and for those upon whom they
depend for attention and compassionate care. Look with mercy on all
whose afflictions bring them weakness, distress, confusion or isolation.
Provide for them homes of dignity and peace; give to them understanding
helpers and the willingness to accept help. We ask this in the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
LOVING GOD, YOU ARE ALWAYS NEAR TO US, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE ARE WEAK, SUFFERING AND VULNERABLE.
Reach out to those who experience mental illness. Lift their burdens, calm their anxiety, and quiet their fears. Surround them with your healing presence that they may know that they are not alone. We ask this through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes and in the name of your Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.